“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 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? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:15-23 ESV
I have found through my study of God's word that He has a history of giving His children exactly what they want. Don't believe me? Well, I have found example after example in Scripture testifying to the fact that God allows people to have their own way, even when He knows that it isn't always in their best interest. Let me give you a few examples to think about.
It all started with Adam and Eve in the Garden. They wanted freedom and knowledge, so God gave it to them. Later on, the people of Israel had the prophet Samuel but that wasn't good enough. They wanted more, they wanted a king to rule over them and protect them, so God gave them Saul. The prodigal son wanted to go to town and do what he wanted, so his father let him do exactly that.
And in every instance, there was some sort of judgement that followed. All of these, and many more, desired their own will more than God's and they suffered for it. Adam and Eve? They lost connection to God and their days were then numbered, but more than that, they had the penalty of eternal death as a result of sin. Israel wanted a king, so God gave them one. A man that ultimately was nearly the ruination of the country and his people. He was so bad at one point that God removed His hand from him and his house and had Samuel anoint a new king. And the prodigal that Jesus told us about? Well, he lived it up for a time, until the local economy fell apart and he ended up broke and homeless and working in indentured servitude just to have shelter and food to eat.
In all these cases, they came to a crossroads. A time where they had two choices, either go the way God was trying to send them or go their own way. We have the same type of crossroads in our lives.
In my own life, when I come to a crossroads, there is and has always been one thought that comes to my mind: while I may say I want to obey the Lord, the truth is that I can do what I want. I can choose to try and do things my way, and no one is going to stop me. It is a sobering thought isn't it? God doesn't want me to choose to do things my way but He will allow me the free will to do so. And the problem with this is simple: I can't see what I will bring upon myself if I do things my way. I can't see the ditch that I am about to hit because I am seeing only bits and pieces of my immediate future. God can see my life from the moment I was born all the way down to the end and everything in between. I have a limited perspective with an even more limited understanding which is a terrible combination for success in life.
Maybe that is what Paul was driving at when he stated that he was a "slave to righteousness." He was a freed man who is bound to serve the heart of God. It is only when we find the freedom in the bondage of God that we will be able to finally overcome ourselves and get out of our own way. He doesn't want us to be slaves the way we think of a slave. He wants a deep and close personal relationship with you and I. He wants to set us free from the chains of sin that we were bound in when Adam and Eve first fell and sinned against God. Through this bondage to God we gain the ultimate rewards of sanctification and when our days are over we receive eternal life.
The words below are what, in my opinion, is about as an accurate description of how God feels about each one of us. It shows me that God loves me enough to allow me my own way but when it doesn't go my way, that He will accept me back with open arms and allow me audience. He doesn't have to, He wants to. He desires that all His children be with Him in eternity. The line that always strikes a chord in my heart is this: "And we are His portion and He is our prize, Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking. And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss, and my heart turns violently inside of my chest, I don't have time to maintain these regrets." He loves us. He loves us enough to let us make mistakes with the knowledge that He will always be there to pick up the pieces and make us whole. He loves me. He loves you too. You're not crazy & you're not alone. Your circumstances may be black, but Scripture says that God is light. He loves you and He will bring you back.
I have found through my study of God's word that He has a history of giving His children exactly what they want. Don't believe me? Well, I have found example after example in Scripture testifying to the fact that God allows people to have their own way, even when He knows that it isn't always in their best interest. Let me give you a few examples to think about.
It all started with Adam and Eve in the Garden. They wanted freedom and knowledge, so God gave it to them. Later on, the people of Israel had the prophet Samuel but that wasn't good enough. They wanted more, they wanted a king to rule over them and protect them, so God gave them Saul. The prodigal son wanted to go to town and do what he wanted, so his father let him do exactly that.
And in every instance, there was some sort of judgement that followed. All of these, and many more, desired their own will more than God's and they suffered for it. Adam and Eve? They lost connection to God and their days were then numbered, but more than that, they had the penalty of eternal death as a result of sin. Israel wanted a king, so God gave them one. A man that ultimately was nearly the ruination of the country and his people. He was so bad at one point that God removed His hand from him and his house and had Samuel anoint a new king. And the prodigal that Jesus told us about? Well, he lived it up for a time, until the local economy fell apart and he ended up broke and homeless and working in indentured servitude just to have shelter and food to eat.
In all these cases, they came to a crossroads. A time where they had two choices, either go the way God was trying to send them or go their own way. We have the same type of crossroads in our lives.
In my own life, when I come to a crossroads, there is and has always been one thought that comes to my mind: while I may say I want to obey the Lord, the truth is that I can do what I want. I can choose to try and do things my way, and no one is going to stop me. It is a sobering thought isn't it? God doesn't want me to choose to do things my way but He will allow me the free will to do so. And the problem with this is simple: I can't see what I will bring upon myself if I do things my way. I can't see the ditch that I am about to hit because I am seeing only bits and pieces of my immediate future. God can see my life from the moment I was born all the way down to the end and everything in between. I have a limited perspective with an even more limited understanding which is a terrible combination for success in life.
Maybe that is what Paul was driving at when he stated that he was a "slave to righteousness." He was a freed man who is bound to serve the heart of God. It is only when we find the freedom in the bondage of God that we will be able to finally overcome ourselves and get out of our own way. He doesn't want us to be slaves the way we think of a slave. He wants a deep and close personal relationship with you and I. He wants to set us free from the chains of sin that we were bound in when Adam and Eve first fell and sinned against God. Through this bondage to God we gain the ultimate rewards of sanctification and when our days are over we receive eternal life.
The words below are what, in my opinion, is about as an accurate description of how God feels about each one of us. It shows me that God loves me enough to allow me my own way but when it doesn't go my way, that He will accept me back with open arms and allow me audience. He doesn't have to, He wants to. He desires that all His children be with Him in eternity. The line that always strikes a chord in my heart is this: "And we are His portion and He is our prize, Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking. And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss, and my heart turns violently inside of my chest, I don't have time to maintain these regrets." He loves us. He loves us enough to let us make mistakes with the knowledge that He will always be there to pick up the pieces and make us whole. He loves me. He loves you too. You're not crazy & you're not alone. Your circumstances may be black, but Scripture says that God is light. He loves you and He will bring you back.
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And, oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He is jealous for me,
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And, oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about the way...
That He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us.
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