Evening

August 12

Romans 6:21-23 ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²²But 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. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Every person has experienced what it is like to be a slave of sin. Some mask the treachery better than others, but whether you are an adulterer or someone who thinks hateful thoughts toward a person, you have experienced sin's control. Some of our choices under the dominion of sin were actually pleasurable for a time, but eventually we tasted of the death that came with them. The promise never measured up to the final experience, so we kept searching for something more, each pleasure falling short again, with the taste of death.

In Christ we can break free from that cycle. We can choose the things of God that lead to life and fulfillment. Instead of ending with death, our actions can result in life. We want more and more, because we are increasingly blessed. We step into holiness and we desire more holiness. Unlike sin, the deeper you go, the more alive you are.

Here is the sum of the Apostle Paul's argument. A life enslaved to sin pays you death. Work for the devil, and you will get his reward. Your spirit will be void of life. Darkness and emptiness is what you will earn. But God freely gives life eternal in Christ Jesus our Lord. Earn death, or receive eternal life. Everyone must make the choice.

We make the choice once, but we also choose daily. Every day that Jesus is our Master (Lord), we experience eternal life. Every time we let sin control us, we experience death. Make the decision for life, but make it every day also.

Prayer: Lord, be the Master of my thoughts, my actions, and my words. Help me walk in You, in life, today, that others might see You.