The Old Landlord

The Renewed Mind By Larry Christenson

Think of yourself as living in an apartment house. You live there under a landlord who has made your life miserable. He charges you exorbitant rent. When you can’t pay, he loans you money at a fearful rate of interest, to get you even further into his debt. He barges into your apartment at all hours of the day and night, wrecks and dirties the place up, then charges you extra for not maintaining the premises. Your life is miserable. Then comes someone who says, “I’ve taken over this apartment house. I’ve purchased it. You can live here as long as you like, free. The rent is paid up. I am going to be living here with you, in the managers apartment.” What a joy! You are saved! You are delivered out of the clutches of the old landlord! But what happens? You hardly have time to rejoice in your newfound freedom, when a knock comes at the door. And there he is – the old landlord! Mean, glowering, and demanding as ever. He has come for the rent, he says. What do you do? Do you pay him? Of course you don’t! Do you go out and pop him on the nose? No – he’s bigger than you are! You confidently tell him, “You’ll have to take it up with the new landlord.” He may bellow, Threaten, wheedle, and cajole. You must quietly tell him, "Take it up with the new Landlord.” If he comes back a dozen times, with all sorts of threats and arguments, waving legal looking documents in your face, you simply tell him yet again, “Take it up with the new Landlord.” In the end he has too. He just hopes that he can bluff and threaten and deceive you into doubting that the new Landlord will really take care of things.
Now this is a situation of a Christian. Once Christ has delivered you from the power of sin and the devil, you can depend on it; that old landlord will soon come back knocking at your door. And what is your defense? How do you keep him from getting the whip hand over you again? You send him to the new Landlord. You send him to Jesus.