Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 10; 1 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6
Scripture: Romans 620-22
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 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.
Observation: "You gotta serve somebody," goes the old Bob Dylan song and it is true. The Apostle Paul points out that the most basic choice is between serving sin and serving God. Serving sin makes you "free from the control of righteousness" but brings no tangible benefit. In fact this "freedom" results in death. When I make choice to become a slave to God, I become "set free from sin" and that freedom gives a great benefit. It "leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
Application: Holiness, in and of itself, is a great benefit. I define holiness as the awareness of belonging completely to God. This awareness brings a kind of seasoning to every aspect of life -- thoughts, actions, attitudes, desires, words, loves, hopes -- that involves God through and through. I am so grateful that God is in everything I do. Even if I do wrong -- acting selfishly or unwisely -- God is still there, correcting me, encouraging me to do better, and enabling me to improve. "Eternal life" is not just about heaven -- it is about really living a full, good, and happy life in the now.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the fullness of you in the now. I have chosen to be your slave and I thank you for the productive and blessed life you have given me as a result. Assist me in leading thousands of people to this same kind of blessed life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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