Saturday, August 27, 2016

Romans 6.16

//Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness.//
Romans 6:16


I have been a slave to many things in my life. I have walked into many prison cells and willingly allowed myself to be shackled and imprisoned. I have declared and believed many lies and claimed them as truth. I have placed my identity in many gods rather than the One True God. I have been free yet lived as one who was bound. I have disregarded what my Lord has done for me. But yet, His grace is ever more beautiful, glorious and alive. The words that our God spoke about His chosen people in Jeremiah chapter 2 ring true in my life as well.

//I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. What fault did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water//


Serving sin and the lies of the world is like choosing broken cisterns when the fountain of living water is right before our eyes. The path of walking in the Spirit is the path to fountains of living water. As humans, we will always live a life of slavery. Take a look down history lane if you disagree. Generations upon generations you see one form of slavery after another. We will all be obedient slaves to something. How beautiful that God has designed a path to freedom through Jesus Christ. Jesus has paved the path to freedom through a presentation of self to Him. As I continually present myself dead to sin and alive to Christ, He leads me into true freedom found through obedience to Him. When I start to lose focus and look for fulfillment from my past masters, I am left empty and unfulfilled. As David prayed in Psalm 69 “I looked for pity but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they have me sour wine to drink.” As I find myself poor, needy and looking for comfort, my Good and Faithful Master calls me home. He calls me back into freedom through Jesus. He invites me to drink from His living water. He always fulfills. He always satisfies. Being a slave to Jesus is the truest and purest freedom alive.



Application: Today I am praying for those who are stuck in the same prison cells that contained me for so long.

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