Category: avoiding sin

The Big Ten

Old Testament: Exodus 19 & 20

Poetry: Psalm 27

New Testament: Matthew 23

Today’s reading of Exodus 19 & 20 is probably one of the most familiar passages in the whole Bible for it includes the Ten Commandments.  It is important to understand the context of these commandments.  God entered into a covenantal relationship with Abraham and Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob and Jacob’s sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.  God promised to bless and provide for his people and in exchange His people promised to be faithful and obedient to God and worship God alone.

After 400 years of slavery, Israel has grown from 12 sons and their immediate family to millions of people.  These people, God’s covenant people, will be settling in a land where they will need to live in community.  They are no longer slaves.  They are now responsible to live in that community in peace and productivity.   They need help to know how to live together.  God provides His people with the structure of how to live together as God’s people.  The Ten Commandments and subsequently nearly 600 additional laws were all designed to help them be healthy and blessed representatives of God to the rest of the world.

God loves all people.  We must never falsely believe that God only loves certain people.  God considers all human beings His children and loves them all.  God wants to be in a right relationship with all of his children; however, many are disobedient and have no willingness to be in a relationship with God and many deny that God even exists.

So God needed to start with one group of people and prepare them to be a special, chosen people who would bring the knowledge of God to others.  Exodus 19:5-6 says, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

Israel was to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  A priest is one who helps connect people and God.  God would go on to designate priests in Israel to help the people connect with God, but His expectation for Israel was that the whole nation serve as priests to help other nations connect with God.  Because the whole nation was being set apart by God to be priests for the world, they needed to live holy or set apart lives.  There were behavioral expectations that they were to follow.  They had to be exclusively loyal to God, they could not murder, steal, lie, cheat, they were to be respectful and honoring of parents and not misuse God’s name.

Now we are completing what God began in Israel.  Through Christ we have entered into a covenant with God.  We are now the covenant people, we are called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  That is the Church’s role.  And God expects us to live lives of holiness as we are set apart to serve God.  As you read through the many laws in the Old Testament, recognize that some applied very narrowly to the Nation of Israel and do not necessarily apply to us.  Dietary laws and sanitary laws were important in Israel at the time they were given but are no longer applicable.  However, some of the laws which pertain to morality have been reaffirmed by Jesus Christ for the Church.  In other words, as Christians we are free to eat pork and worship on Sundays, but we are not free to practice polygamy or murder.

God is truly a God of grace and mercy, but God is also a God who hates sin and punishes sin.  In this way we are still to live in fear of the Lord: Exodus 20:20 “the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

Jeff Fletcher

(originally posted Feb 5, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)

Reflection Questions

  1. Looking at each one of the Ten Commandments, what can you learn about God? Why do you think He included each one in this list?
  2. Which of these commandments do you need to look at more closely in your own life? What will help you abide by them better?
  3. Looking at Matthew 23, the scribes and Pharisees Jesus was speaking about had worked hard at following the Ten (and additional commandments). But Jesus was not pleased. What were their problems? How can you avoid these problems?
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Change Your Garments

Old Testament: Genesis 35 & 36

Poetry: Psalm 15

New Testament: Matthew 13:31-35

Genesis 35 begins with God telling Jacob to go to Bethel and make an altar there to “the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” God is reminding Jacob of what He has done for him in the past. Do you remember what Rachel did a few chapters back? She stole her father’s idols! Jacob’s household STILL has these foreign gods in their possession. The very first commandment in the Ten Commandments (which will be) given to Moses is “You shall have no other gods before me”. What have Jacob’s people done? They have sinned! 

I find this next part so interesting. In verses 2 and 3 Jacob gives instructions to his people. He says “put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.” This is repentance. Did Jacob say that they could keep the idols in their spare room and ignore them? NO. They took everything that was an idol or connected to paganism and buried them in the ground. They cast the items of sin out of their midst. Then, after turning away, they purified themselves and changed their clothes. 

One commentary makes an interesting point about the garments. There are multiple places in scripture where garments symbolize the character of people. How interesting is it that Jacob told his people to change their garments, almost like a physical way to visualize the heart change of repentance? This gives even more depth to the verses that say things like “put on Christ” or “put on the new self”. WOW! Let’s take a second to thank the Lord for the true gift of Jesus and what that means for our personal lives. The Old Testament is filled with people making altars to God for numerous things. We don’t have to do that anymore because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. Now, our lives are an offering to God and Christ is the one to cover all of our sins. How amazing is that?

Okay, back to Jacob. What do you notice about God in this chapter? I notice how gracious God is. These people had taken false gods! There was no reason why they deserved to have God on their side. But He is still faithful to them! He guides them, protects them, and then blesses them by giving Jacob an incredible promise at the end of the chapter. 


How amazing it is to have a God that will forgive us. I want this story to prompt us today to think about any areas in our lives where we are holding on to sin. If we are in Christ, we are a new creation, and although that doesn’t mean we are perfect yet, it does mean that we are continually being transformed. Ephesians 4 says, “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” What does that look like in your life? Think about how you can “put on the new self” today.

-Katelyn Salyers

Reflection Questions

  1. What will it look like to take off your old self? What do you need to get out of your house, your heart, your life? Are you hiding any foreign gods?
  2. What will it look like to put on your new self today? How can you put on a clean set of clothes?
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Moldy Berries

*Old Testament: Ezekiel 21 & 22

Poetry: Psalm 99

New Testament: Revelation 14

It seems as though fresh strawberries go bad so quickly. You get a package at the grocery and then sometimes by the next day they already start to expire. Maybe that morning you are in a rush when you see that one moldy spot. You know it’s not good, but you will get rid of that bad strawberry later. But, then you forget and by the time you check back in on them, half the package is moldy. And worse yet, this isn’t the first batch you have lost in such a manner. You knew better from previous experiences and yet you managed to find yourself in the same exact trouble.

This happened to me this week. I was reminded of these bad strawberries when reading Ezekiel 22. Time and time again, we see the Israelites in the hot seat after continuous rebellion against God. They should know better from previous experience, but they do not use that knowledge to do better.

I think it is interesting in verses 6-13 God declares the vile things that Israel had within itself. These things were not all immediately there. Rather, I imagine the Israelites allowed one bad thing in at a time until eventually almost the whole batch became rotten. Just as we do not always discard that moldy strawberry when we should, the Israelites did not turn to God and rid themselves of the sin when they noticed it. Rather they turned their heads and allowed more to sneak in and take hold.

In doing these terrible things, they forgot God. They turned their heads from Him and, to stay with the strawberry analogy, allowed the mold to consume them. These things that they did hurt one another and were against the very principles of their creator. These were against the very principles of loving God with all our heart, soul and mind and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

So with that I want to challenge you and myself with the following question. Are there any moldy strawberries in our life right now that we are ignoring? If so, let us, with God’s help, throw that strawberry out so that the mold from it will not spread further in our heart.

-Hannah Deane

Reflection Questions

  1. Just like Hannah asked, “Are there any moldy strawberries in our life right now that we are ignoring? If so, let us, with God’s help, throw that strawberry out so that the mold from it will not spread further in our heart.”
  2. When have you seen the progression of sin overpower and block out a desire to serve and follow God?
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The Influence of the Tongue

Old Testament: Jeremiah 1 & 2

Poetry: Proverbs 4

New Testament: James 2

(I told Andy he was in charge this week so yes, he could have some days discussing various chapters from James that don’t line up precisely with the reading plan in order to have some two-part devotions. So, today’s devotion actually comes from James 3).

Have you ever hurt someone with your words? Of course, we all have. That inability to hold your tongue. The control of the tongue has both negative and positive aspects. It involves the ability to restrain the tongue in silence. But it also means being able to control it in gracious speech when that is required.

Sanctification in any area of our lives always expresses both sides. A putting off and a putting on. Speech and silence, appropriately expressed, are together the mark of the mature (compare with one of the clearest illustrations of this in Colossians 3:1–17). Nor is this James’s first reference to speech. He had already said that for a professing believer to fail to bridle the tongue is to be guilty of self-deception (1:22–25) and the hallmark of a person whose religion is worthless (1:26). He uses some imagery to explain just how powerful this tongue is. In James 3:3–5, James uses two illustrations. The tongue is like the bit in the mouth of a horse. This tiny appliance controls the enormous power and energy of the horse and is used to give it direction. James may well have been familiar with this picture from common experience in daily life. He had seen powerful Roman military horses and had probably heard stories of chariot races. The point, however, is the power and influence concentrated in one small object. That’s how it is with the tongue.

The tongue is also like the rudder in a boat. Large ships were not unknown in the ancient world. The ship that originally was to transport Paul across the Mediterranean en route to Rome held 276 people (Acts 27:37). We know that a large ship like the Isis could carry one thousand people. Yet such a big and heavy vessel was directed simply by a turn of the rudder!

Why does James speak this way? Of course, divine inspiration but also of both biblical knowledge and personal experience. The tongue as I’ve heard it said “carries into the world the breath that issues from the heart”.

We do not realize how powerful for evil the tongue is because we are so used to its polluting influence.

Jesus says the tongue projects the thoughts and intentions of the heart. It is from within, “out of the heart,” that the mouth speaks (compare with Matthew 12:34; 15:18–19). But like the smoker, so accustomed to the odor, the atmosphere in which they live, the person with polluted speech has little or no sense of it — no sense that they exhale bad breath every time they speak.

But with all of this said, James is forced into a confession. Nobody — Jesus excepted — has succeeded in mastering the tongue! Our only hope as we pursue the discipline of self that leads to mastery of the tongue is that we belong to Christ and that we are being made increasingly like him. But this battle for “vocal holiness” is a long-running one, and it needs to be waged incessantly, daily, hourly. Are we fighting it? So we get it. We don’t say mean things, we think about what we say. We use judgment with our words. Many people miss one important element in taming the tongue and that is adding Godly speech to our vocabulary. This is a life-changing, mind-altering, and wonderfully encouraging side.

Which we will get into tomorrow. 🙂

-Andy Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. Knowing what you now know about the tongue from James 3, what warnings and instruction on the words you say and don’t say can you apply to what James has to say in James 2?
  2. Which do you find harder – silence when silence is most appropriate or gracious speech when gracious speech is most important? Think of an example of when you should have been silent – but you weren’t. And, an example of when you could have used gracious speech – but you didn’t. How could the situation or relationship have been altered by better control of your tongue? How might your tongue be used now to help mend these relationships?
  3. Are there any specific words/phrases that your speech would be better without?
  4. In what situations do you find it difficult to control your tongue? What could you do next time you are in that situation to demonstrate that you want to become more and more Christ-like?
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Defiled…or Not

*New Testament Reading:  Mark 7

Psalms Reading:  76

Old Testament Reading:  Isaiah 35-36 

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There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. – Mark 10:14 (ESV)

“Goodness Gracious!”  “Jiminy!”  “Good Golly!”  And, occasionally, “Uffda”.  Laugh if you want, but these are actually phrases that come out of my mouth when surprised or startled.  I have many issues and sins that I struggle with in my life (just ask my family), but bad language isn’t one of them.  Why not?  Likely because I don’t put that into my mind.  It bothers me to watch movies with a lot of bad language and I don’t surround myself with people who talk that way (at least they don’t in front of me). 

In Mark 7:14-15 we read:  And he [Jesus] called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And Mark 7:20-23 gets more specific:  And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

There are two parts of this that need to be addressed.  First, what does it mean to defile yourself?  Here are some definitions I found for defile:  to spoil; to make dirty; to corrupt; to take away the purity, honor, or goodness of.  Second, for something to come out, it must be in, right?  So, how does that list of what comes out of the heart get into the heart? 

Think of the song O Be Careful Little Eyes. 

O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see

The other verses are O be careful little ears what you hear, little tongue what you say, hands what you do, feet where you go, heart whom you trust, and mind what you think.   All of these put ideas/thoughts into our minds.  Once there, we use our minds to decide what to do with the thought.  Are we going to take it captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:50)?  Are we going to let it conform us to the world or transform us to be renewed to know God’s will (Romans 12:2)? 

Other verses can give us more clarity and direction. 

1 Corinthians 15:33:  Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Or, “corrupts good character” (NIV)

Psalm 119:11:  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

What you put in (read, watch, listen to, etc.) and who you surround yourself with (face-to-face, groups online, etc.) WILL come out.   God goes so far as to warn us not to be deceived about such things.  Luke 6:45 says, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” And it’s not just the words from our mouths.  It’s our actions, inactions, attitudes, etc.  Be aware that what comes out reveals our hearts – as clean or unclean.  The choice is up to us.

Amy Blanchard

Reflection Questions

  1. What are you putting into your mind? 
  2. What comes out of you – your actions, words, and attitudes?  What do they reflect is in your heart? 
  3. God reveals himself through His Son, Jesus.  Jesus gives us a list of evil things that defile us.  What does this list reveal about God’s character to you?
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Hide and Seek

Old Testament: Job 32-34

Poetry: Psalm 45

New Testament: Titus 3

Have you ever played Hide and Seek before?  In Hide and Seek, everyone tries to hide from one person, the seeker.  These players try to choose a spot that they will be the least likely to be found in, which normally ends up being in a dark or shadowed place, where it is harder to see clearly.  The seeker goes around trying to find everyone that is hiding.  They don’t know where anybody is hiding, but they may have guesses as they hear noises, see movement, etc.  But, have you ever considered playing Hide and Seek where the seeker just always knows exactly where you hid, no matter how creative it is?  


Real life is like that many times.  People choose to commit sins and try to hide them in the dark.  Everyone has times in their lives that they try to hide in the darkness and keep their sins to themselves, hoping nobody will ever know.  But, Job tells us that there is somebody who will always know.  Job 34:21-22 says, “For His eyes are upon the ways of  man, And He sees all his steps. There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.”  There is no place we could ever hide our sins that God will not see.  God can see into every dark and shadowed place that you try to play Hide and Seek in.


Isaiah 29:15 says, “Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, ‘Who sees us?’ or ‘Who knows us?’”  Hiding what you are doing in the dark will not lead to joy.  In the end, these things will lead to destruction and despair if you do not turn away from them.  Just like you cannot stay hidden forever in Hide and Seek, these deeds you do in the dark cannot stay hidden forever.  If you are hiding your sins in the dark, turn away from them and come into the light.  If you are not hiding anything in the dark, stand firm in the light and don’t let anything draw you into the darkness.


John 3:19-21:  “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

-Kaitlyn Hamilton

Reflection Questions

  1. How much light are you living in right now? How much darkness?
  2. What steps/sins are you trying to hide from God? What works better?
  3. What does it mean to you that God sees everything?
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Change

Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 10-12
Poetry: Psalm 143
New Testament: Colossians 3

Change, change, change – there is a lot of it in Colossians 3. And it jumps out to me as I read it because my family and 200 of our friends (some we just met, some we’ve known all our lives) just gathered last week at Camp Mack in northern Indiana for Family Camp where the theme of the week was Change.

It is so true that while we were still in our sins God loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die for us that we might be saved from the final and lasting death our sins deserve. God’s grace is huge! Huge enough I need to say it again. God’s grace is huge! It is also true that when we accept this incredible gift God calls on you and I to change. In Colossians 3 this change is referred to as taking off your old self and putting on your new self. Out with the old, in with the new. And not just a little bit less of the old self – but put it to death (vs. 5). No more! No more “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (vs. 5). Also, “you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other” (vs. 8,9a). Put it to death! Get rid of it! Change!

There are many reasons why we want to change – because God said to, because we want to be more like Jesus, and because we want to set a good example for our Christian brothers and sisters. And yet a powerful reason we NEED to change is stated in verse 6 – the wrath of God is coming because of the acts of the old/earthly nature. God’s wrath is real. Real enough I need to say it again. God’s wrath is real.

So what do we do? Once we see the need to change and we want to change, how do we do it? How do we change? Colossians 3 has some great steps to take.

Clothe yourself with the new (3:12-15)- replace the old with the new. The old has a much harder time trying to creep back in when it’s old place has been filled to overflowing with new, good, godly things: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiving, love, peace of Christ, unity, thankfulness. How can you grow these characteristics?

Set your hearts and your minds on things above (3:1,2) – don’t get caught up in daily, worldly living – focus on Jesus at the right hand of his Father. What will that look like for you? What will it take? Is there a difference between setting your heart on things above and setting your mind on things above? If so, how can you do both?

Your new self you want to grow is “renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (3:10) and we are told to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (3:16) – God made you with a brain and the ability to learn and grow and change. Fill your brain with knowledge of the Creator and the words of Christ. Read your Bible regularly! It is important. It is a huge key to lasting change as we discover and do what pleases the Lord.

In perfect unity – be “members of one body” – the body of Christ – the church – “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (3:14-16). There is no perfect church, but church is the perfect place to work together for changed lives for the Lord. Stay connected with other imperfect people and together set your minds and hearts on things above, “teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom.”

Work at it – remember you are serving the Lord and not men (3:23,24). Are you serving men or serving the Lord? How can you tell? How can others tell? It will be work. Work that is rewarding and worth it.

Remember not only the wrath of God which is coming for those who are living in the old nature, but also the reward of God which is the blessed hope of those living in the new nature. If Christ IS your life, then when he appears, you too will appear with him in glory and you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. (3:4 & 24).

It’s time for a change. Before it’s too late. What will you change today?

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. What “old self” practices and characteristics have you worked at (or are still working on) eliminating? What “new self” practices and characteristics are (or ought to be) taking their place?
  2. Consider the other questions in the devotion. Then pray to God about any changes you feel He wants you to make. Continue being open to other changes God wants to show you.
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Different Temptations

Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 17 & 18
Psalms Reading: Psalm 55
New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 8

In the letter of 1 Corinthians, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth.  Corinth is in modern day Greece, so it was at the heart of Greek influence.  This would have meant that the church in Corinth would have been surrounded by people who put their faith and hope in the Greek gods.  The worship of idols was not just an aspect of the Greek culture, it was the heart of Greek culture.  I’m sure many in the church at Corinth would have come from this background of worshipping the Greek gods.  For some, that would not have been a big deal; they could separate themselves from the worship of idols.  For others, it would have been difficult to separate themselves from the worship of idols.  For those who had troubles separating themselves from the worship of idols, they would have had a conflicting conscience eating food that was originally offered as a sacrifice to these idols.  Was it sinful to do so? 

Paul explains that we are not better or worse off if we eat the food originally offered to idols.  At the same time, Paul urges those who aren’t conflicted by eating food originally offered to idols to withhold from eating this food in front of those whose conscience was conflicted.

There are two key takeaways that I would like to mention here:

1) Everybody is susceptible to different temptations.  One path may be safe for someone to travel down; however, that same path may lead to danger for someone else.  For the church at Corinth, some could eat the food offered to idols and stay away from the temptation to commit idolatry while others could not.  One person may be fine having social media and be safe from the temptation to covet, while another person may not be safe from this temptation.  One person may be fine having a drink of alcohol and be safe from the temptation to get drunk, while another person may not be safe from this temptation.  One person may be safe to have digital media on their phone and be safe from the temptation to lust, while another person may not be safe from this temptation.  You catch the drift.

As we alluded to in yesterday’s devotion, you must be acutely aware of what triggers you to commit sin.  It is different for everybody.  Being self-aware of your triggers is key to your recovery from a sinful habit and key to keep you away from a sinful habit.

2) If something is safe for you to indulge in but not for those around you, then don’t take part in it.  Paul urged the Christians at Corinth to not serve as a stumbling block for those around them by eating the food originally offered to idols in front of others who may struggle with this.  Therefore, do we not only need to be aware of what triggers may lead us to sin, it’s imperative that we understand what triggers those around us to sin.  When we act as a stumbling block to those around us, we are sinning ourselves.  In one of my favorite teachings, Jesus explains the severity of causing others to stumble in Matthew 18:6 – check it out.

All in all, be cognizant that God made us all different, and we are all tempted by different things.  Be aware of what tempts you while also being aware of what tempts those around you.

-Kyle McClain

Reflection Questions

  1. What are your temptation triggers? What boundaries can you create to help keep yourself from sin?
  2. How can your actions lead your family members and Christian brothers and sisters who might have different temptations and consciences to sin? What can you do instead to support them and strengthen them in their stand (or flight) against temptation?
  3. What does your Bible reading today tell you about the One who inspired these words? Who is He and what is His desire?
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Stuck in a Quandary

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 17 & 18
Psalms Reading: Psalm 37
* New Testament Reading: Romans 7

Romans 6 talked about God’s requirement that Christians die to sin.  Romans 7 points out that we can’t do this in our own power alone.  Romans 8 will give us the solution.

But today, we’re stuck in a quandary.  We know that God requires that we put to death the sinful nature in our life.  How do we do that?  The obvious first thought is by following a long set of rules.  (We call this Legalism – the idea that we can get right with God by following a bunch of rules.)

For a while, things seem to go along well.  We’re following the rules, and we feel more spiritual.  We develop a long list of “dos” and “don’ts”.  Over time, the list grows, and it gets harder and harder to follow.  The problem with this is that it addresses our actions, but doesn’t change our hearts.  In our mind, we want to follow God, but our sinful nature wars against our mind, wanting to do whatever our sinful nature wants.

Paul said it like this in Romans 7: 15, “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do,  I do not do, but what I hate, I do.”  And in 7:19, “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep doing.”

Over time, it gets harder and harder to follow all the rules.  If we carry legalism to its logical conclusion, eventually, either we get to the point where we just pretend (we become a hypocrite), or we abandon the whole farce and just walk away. 

Paul sums up the desperation like this in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?”  If we are perfectly honest, I suspect all of us who profess to be Christians have experienced this.

Fortunately, the chapter doesn’t stop there.  Paul goes on in 7:25a, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  We don’t get into the details until Romans 8 of how we can not just overcome, but be “more than conquerors.”

In Romans 6, Paul said that we must die to sin.  Here in Romans 7, he goes on to say that we also die to the law.  This may seem crazy, since God’s law was good – pointing out what sin was.  So we’re not bound by the law, and we’re not free to continue to sin.  What is the solution?  

We’ll find out tomorrow.  

Spoiler alert:

Romans 8:10-11 says, “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”

-Steve Mattison

Reflection Questions

  1. What has your experience been with your sinful nature? What good do you want to do that you haven’t? What evil have you done that you didn’t want to do?
  2. Have you had any experience with legalism? How did you do at trying to follow every rule? Where was your heart? Did you tend more towards hypocrisy and going through the motions or giving up and walking away from God?
  3. What is God’s desire for you? How do you know? What does He reveal about Himself in your reading of His words today?
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What are You a Slave of?

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 15 & 16
Psalms Reading: Psalm 36
* New Testament Reading: Romans 6

Romans 5 talks about God’s amazing grace, and how we can be made right with God despite our ugly sinful past, because Jesus’ death paid for our sins.  Romans 6 starts by asking a ridiculous question, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”  Paul then answered the question in verse 2, “By no means!”.

Paul went on to say that when people really accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they die to sin, just like Jesus physically died.  And since Jesus was raised up to a new (eternal) life, our life should be radically different – a new life to be lived for God.  Romans 6: 11-12 says, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”  This means we must actively resist sin in our lives, and instead deliberately choose to live a life pleasing to God.  This isn’t just a good idea, it’s required for true Christians.

Paul offered an analogy that everyone in his day would have been very familiar with: slaves.  Slaves must obey their masters.  A person living a life of sin is in rebellion against God and is a slave to sin, and therefore can’t follow God.  By accepting Christ and dying to sin, a person can then be a slave to God.  Paul then made the argument that, since you’ve been freed from slavery to sin, you can’t serve sin anymore – sin is not your master any more.  God is now your master, so you must obey Him.

Romans 6:21-22 goes on to say, “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?  Those things result in death!  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

This is a pretty stark contrast.  Your life used to be filled with sin.  You did lots of things you are now ashamed of.  And oh yeah, the result of that lifestyle is death.  God has liberated us from sin to become a slave of God – which causes us to live a holy life, with the result culminating in eternal life in the coming Kingdom of God.

Paul closed the chapter with a verse that is likely familiar, Romans 6:23, which says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

When we work, we earn wages.  We deserve what we get paid because of the work we did.  Similarly, we will get “paid” for the life we live.  If we persist in our sin, the wage we can expect is death.  Thanks anyway, but I’d rather accept God’s gift.  But we can’t get God’s gift just because we want it, we must turn from our life of sin, and become God’s slave.  Only then can we receive His gift of eternal life.

So, the choices are sin and death, or a life of service to God and eternal life.  Some consider this a tough choice.  Which will you choose?

-Steve Mattison

Reflection Questions

  1. What are you a slave of? Are there any changes in your life that ought to be made?
  2. Are you prepared to receive the wages of your sins? Or have you accepted the gift of God? If so, how and what difference does that make in your life?
  3. What does God reveal about Himself and His heart in today’s Bible reading? What kind of Master is He?
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