“Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads you to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” – Romans 6:16
The choice we make impacts us greater than we can perhaps even fathom. All my life I have known God. I have been taught about Him. I have been made aware of Him. My family are believers, and began raising us from the time I can remember to know and believe in God as well.
This is not to say that I did not sin. I can remember many instances where I chose to engage in what I wanted to do instead of seeking what God wanted me to do. There were also times where I deliberately sinned because I allowed my selfishness to rule, and not allow God’s provision to meet my needs or desires.
I know that I am not alone. From the beginning of time, mankind has struggled with sin. While I would be a fool to blame my sinful choices on Adam, his sins began a pathway leading to painful consequences and destruction. Romans 5 says it like it “Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone…” Our sin condemns us. It enslaves us. It destroys us. It removes us from the presence of our loving Father. But there is hope for those of us who follow Jesus. Romans 5 goes on to say, “but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with god and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” (v.18-19)
We are made righteous not because of the lives we have lived. We are made righteous by the acts that one man, Jesus Christ, made on our behalf. We are saved by faith in Him.
As followers and believers in Him, we are given peace, forgiveness, hope, and love. These gifts come even in the midst of challenges.
Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our LORD has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”
We can choose to obey sin and become a slave to it, which ultimately results in death. Or, we can choose to obey God, which leads to life.
“Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (Romans 6:12-13) “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8) “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our LORD Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11)
Father, help us to seek you in all things. Remove anything within us that would deceive us into believing that we do not need you. LORD, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves: in a mountain peak or in a deep valley, LORD would you remind us of your presence and care for us. Would you help us to sense your nearness, but also strengthen our minds to depend upon what we know about you. Emotions are fleeting, but our God is not. Help us to choose you and a life of obedience rather than sin. Help us to remember that you are more than capable of meeting our every need, and our hearts’ greatest desires. In Jesus name, amen.
Blessings!