What’s the Advantage?
Romans 6:21-23 You did evil things, and now you are ashamed of what you did. Did those things help you? No, they only brought death. But now you are free from sin. You have become slaves of God, and the result is that you live only for God. This will bring you eternal life. When people sin, they earn what sin pay – death. But God gives his people a free gift-eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
One of the reasons that I gave God rather a wide berth for rather a long time is that, there were things that I was doing that I knew were wrong and I didn’t want to give them up. It’s strange behaviour when you think about it, because those things that we know are wrong inevitably end up hurting us.
Me? Well, I didn’t want to give up my pride, my anger, my aspirations for wealth and success. I clung them for dear life – until one day, I realised they were killing me, literally. I almost took my own life.
I’ve been walking with Jesus for a good many years now and a while back, I stumbled across a single Bible verse that made me realise just how stupid I’d been.
You did evil things, and now you are ashamed of what you did. Did those things help you? No, they only brought death. (Romans 6:21)
It’s a great question and in fact it’s the right question. What benefit did I get from those things that I knew were wrong? Well, at the time I deluded myself into thinking that I was living a great life, when all along, I was dying inside. I had no peace, no joy, no hope for the future. My sin was ruining my life, the lives of the people around me and robbing me of any chance I may have had at having some good relationships.
So, what’s the alternative to that life? Well, Paul goes on to put it this way:
But now you are free from sin. You have become slaves of God, and the result is that you live only for God. This will bring you eternal life. When people sin, they earn what sin pay – death. But God gives his people a free gift-eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22-23)
The alternative is living your life for God, turning away from the things we know are wrong, turning away from the things that are robbing us of life itself, and living in the certain hope of eternity with Him. The alternative is throwing out the rubbish, the sin, and discovering the peace, the joy and the power that God has ready and waiting for us.
It makes you wonder: “how come I left it so long?”
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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