"The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God's laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God's abounding grace forgiving us. Before, sin ruled over all men and brought them to death, but now God's kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
"Well, then, shall we keep on sinning so that God can keep on showing us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Should we keep on sinning when we don't have to? For sin's power over us was broken when we became Christians and were baptized to become a part of Jesus Christ; through His death the power of your sinful nature was shattered. Your old sin-loving nature was buried with Him by baptism when He died, and when God the Father, with glorious power, brought Him back to life again, you were given His wonderful new life to enjoy" (Romans 5:20-6:4).
"When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen," replied the great musician Haydn when asked why his church music was so cheerful. "And since God has given me a cheerful heart it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit."
A careful reading of 1 John 2 helps us realize that we will not want to sin if we really are children of God, any more than a butterfly would want to crawl on the ground as it once did as a caterpillar. "Someone may say, 'I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.' But if he doesn't do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar" (1 John 2:4).
"The person who has been born into God's family does not make a practice of sinning, because now God's life is in him; so he can't keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him - he has been born again" (1 John 3:9).
TODAY'S ACTION POINT: I will thank God often throughout the day for the fact that I don't have sin. He has made a way of escape. "For sin's power over us was broken when we received Christ." So, I will "resist the devil" and he will flee from me. Today I will enjoy my new life in Christ by demonstrating a joyful spirit.
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