Today’s Devotional Theme
True Repentance Does Not Abuse Grace
Daily Scripture
Romans 6:15-16
“Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”
Encouragement
I have heard people say "if you know you are always forgiven by God, then why stop repeating the sin?" They believe that some people when faced with the decision to turn away from sin, or go ahead and do it again, that they may think, "if God forgave me before he will forgive me again if I do it only once more." Repeating an offense is like a child who says they are sorry, repeats the bad behavior, says they are sorry again, repeats the bad behavior, etc. The first time or two they are forgiven. But, it doesn't take long to realize that they aren't sincerely sorry when they won't stop doing what they are doing. They may even think they actually figured out how to stop themselves from getting punished. As a parent, this is the time when punishment is deserved in order to make a point to that child that their behavior won't be tolerated. God is our Father and we are His children; and If we love our children enough to discipline them, how can we think that our own disobedience towards God will go unpunished? Disobedience, or sinning (especially when repeated over and over) can unfortunately have resonating consequences even when forgiveness is given. For example: unfaithfulness in a marriage, even if forgiven by God and the wife/husband, can result in lasting issues of distrust, insecurities, and defensiveness that may require years of reconciliation to build an unfailing unity back into their marriage; IF they remain married. Or, drug/alcohol abuse, even when the person is forgiven, can still have lasting physical or mental effects on their bodies, or damage to their relationships, or may cause their children to have the tendency to experiment with the same things. These are the scars that are left even after grace has been given, and the battle has been won.
Apply God’s Word
God has given us the revelation of sin through His words written within in the bible, and His Commandments which are guidelines to righteous living. By the gift of His Holy Spirit (that is within every born again believer), we have the knowledge of sin, and His grace that protects us from the death of sin, for ourselves as well as the people we love (Acts 2:38). When we commit a sin we are required by God to repent from the sin, and do it no more. REPENTING is to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better. God knows our heart, our thoughts, and our innermost being. He knows when we ask for forgiveness if we are truly sorry for what we have done. If you have received Christ as your Savior, and if you have been baptized, and received the Holy Spirit within you, then you will do your very best not to "abuse" God's gift of grace and forgiveness by purposely repeating a particular sin. If you ask God for His help to overcome it, and because He loves you and doesn't want you to be a slave to sin, or suffer and die due to your sin, He will help you to conquer it!
Come into His Presence
Lord our God, we thank You for Your love, patience, forgiveness, and Your discipline when needed, that allows us to be a better person and live our lives in right standing with You. Your grace is immeasurable, yet not to be abused by disobedience. Help us if we struggle in areas of our lives with sin that seems to return, and to rebuke the devil so we can be free from it. We love You, Lord, and if for no other reason than that, WE CAN and WE WILL overcome in Jesus' name. Amen.
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment