Scripture:
- Romans 8:13
Observations:
This passage follows a segment in which Paul is talking about living in the flesh versus living in the spirit, ho those living in the flesh are doomed to death and cannot please God, but those living in the spirit find a greater life that comes from God
"For if you live according to the flesh, you will die"
Pretty self-explanatory
"... but if, by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
This is the key to overcoming sin of any kind. There are two key ideas within this verse fragment.
The first is the phrase "by the Spirit". This tells us that God is both the source of strength for and the mechanism of overcoming our sins, even the deepest, most entrenched ones.
Second is the phrase, "put to death the deeds of the body." This passage isn't talking about retiring our sins, or putting them up in the attic. This passage is talking about drastic action. Putting something to death is severe, terminal. It is unreversable except by God and we know that God does not tolerate sin.
Application:
Firstly, this is a reminder to rely on God, not myself.
Secondly, this is a reminder to take this journey and struggle seriously. I have the worst habit of starting something in earnest and, by my own sloth, allowing it to become merely this veneer that's added to cover over the flaws. I cannot permit even the most innocent gateway thoughts. My sin needs to not only be managed, but to die and I need to die to myself, to my own desires on a daily basis. That is what is meant by being a living sacrifice.
~ ~ ~
The Love Dare
Day 22: Love is Faithful
This is an important one. I wish it spoke from the perspective of the one who broke faith and trust instead of the one whose faith and trust was broken, but the core theme is still the same. We need to be seeking after Christ, emulating his love. We need to be giving undeserved love - love despite what a person has said or done to us.
Me? I'm the one who does't deserve the love, so it's hard to see how to apply this in my circumstance. I'm trying to repair and secure my marriage, but faithfulness has a different connotation in my context. My wife needs to know that she is the only one in my eyes and mind. She also needs to know that she is in my heart and that no-one else is there with her.
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