1 Corinthians 6:20 NIV‬‬
[20] you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

I have enjoyed many novels that are historical fiction based on the open sea. Many of which cover a big thing back then. Slavery. No, not the kind Martin Luther King was against, on the ocean, depending on where you were from and what station you were in slavery was a thing that didn’t hold to just one race or color, anyone could be a slave. If you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and were grabbed, if you belonged to a poor family who sold you, if you were willing to sell yourself because you had no where to go and no money, and so on. Slavery was just common place. Your value as a slave, your price, depended on a few different things, depending on where you were headed. Good looks helped, a strong build, healthy teeth sometimes, if you had a special talent or skill. The better your quality the higher the price.

Now imagine. There you are standing before the block. The slave master close at hand flexing his powerful shoulders and waiting with a bored look. He was once a slave too, but he bought himself out. Yet, he still had to serve his old masters, so freedom was not his possession. You look down the line cautiously. It’s a scraggly bunch. Some strong and young, some bent, some wounded, some with limps or disabilities. You look up the line. The clever, attractive and healthy slaves were selling fast and to good jobs. The ones that looked like you, they sold for next to nothing and went to the one week jobs, one week because you rarely survived longer than that. It didn’t make a difference to the buyers, your type was cheap, they could always buy more.
Hard hands grab you shoulders and lift you into place as the next to be bid on. You know where you’re going. You know what your worth. Then a soft voice says, “I’ll take that one.” You look up at the hooded figure. A shudder runs through you. What is this feeling? It’s something greater than fear.
The auctioneer pauses, “again? Mr. You should wait until I call a price, you keep on paying too much for these.”
The hood nods. The slave master sighs and lifts you back to the ground and you are shoved into a group.
The next in line is placed on the block, the same soft voice, “I’ll take that one too.”
Finally the head of the outfit steps forward and shouts, “ENOUGH! Let us see some coin before you buy the whole lot with nothing but your own skin. We deal in money here, not delusions!”
The hood nods and the man pulls out a small coin purse. You hold your breath. The purse looks pretty flat to you. You past master takes the one object out of the purse and drops it. He steps back. You strain to see. It’s a gold medallion of some type, there’s an insignia on it, but you can’t make it out. The hood steps forward and unveils his head, you cry out, so do all with you. There stands the King. He steps onto the block and lifts his medallion with his crest upon it. “I purchase them all, including you.” He looks at the slave master, the one who had tried and failed to free himself. The big shoulders shake as he falls to his knees. The owner of the auction and all his people flee. The King touches the slave master’s shoulder, “go, release them all.” The big man jumps to his feet and rushes to free each slave from his or her chains. When he gets to you and takes your bonds in his hands you find that they are shaking, he is crying and smiling, your chains drop as he moves to the next person.
You look at the King and He turns, “you have a question my child?”
Your voice cracks, “Yes your majesty.”
He smiles, “and?”
“Why? Why buy us at all when we were yours to do with as you please?”
“To show you your value, and to set you truly free. I do not rule a land where free will is illegal, due to that people are free, but some choose evil. I have to rectify that evil and to free those captive to it. You are free child. Will you come and serve me in my kingdom?”
“What happens if I say no?”
“Hmm, you will be free to live your life as you choose, but you will he on your own and when the day comes when I take the evil fully from this world and bring my followers to my Kingdom, if you did not choose me, you could not come and would be left behind with all those who will die with this world.”
“It’s my choice?”
“Yes.”
“Then of course I choose you.”
The King smiled. To your shock, many did not go with the King to follow Him that day. They loved belonging to themselves too much to belong to anyone else, even to be taken to the castle as the King’s child.
But you went with Him, and so did the slave master. You went because you were bought with a price beyond your worth, now you would always live to serve the one who set you free.

You were bought with a high price, so serve God with your bodies.