“What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!” Romans 6:21 (NIV)
Sin never delivers what it promises. Sin promises pleasure, but produces pain. Sin promises escape, but produces entrapment. Sin promises freedom, but produces bondage. When you look into the rear view mirror of your life, you will quickly discern the reality of sin’s consequences. Think of the shame that clutters the landscape of your past as a result of poor choices.
Weigh the benefit of the things you are now ashamed of. I’m sure that if you could go back into your past, there are choices you would love to retrieve and mistakes you would love to remove. In Christ, you are forgiven. The penalty of your sin has been paid in full by the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. Yet, it is a healthy exercise to think through the benefit you reaped as a result of your poor choices. The reality that poor choices produced death brings you to the place of walking in the fear of the Lord. You recognize that God is all-knowing and all-seeing.
What does victory look like in a fallen world? The portrait of victory is a child of God thinking through the consequences of sin before stepping through a door that is dishonoring to God. Victory comes in the form of a wise decision to weigh the benefit of walking in the way of the Lord.
- “Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.” Prov 4:26 (NIV)
- “In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.” Prov 22:5 (NIV)
Weigh the benefit!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell