Now for some devotionals!
Paul is such an inspirational man. He's spirited, bold in the truth, humble to God, and filled with such love in his heart for both fellow Christians and the stubborn Jews. In Romans 6:2, he urges Christians to be dead to sin now, for "...How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it." How can we participate in sinful behavior when we are Christians? Christians don't do such things any more. We have to be examples for others. Once you think about it, that is a lot of pressure on us, but God allows slip-ups. We can't be perfect all the time, but we should try as best we can. When we made the decision to become Christians, we made a commitment to live God's way, not ours.
You might be thinking, "But some sins are so hard to overcome." In verse 14, Paul says, "...sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." Likewise, 1 Cor. 10:13, he later says that God will always provide a way out of your temptation. If that does not encourage you, remember that because we are under grace, we answer to someone higher than on earth. The grace God gives us leaves us indebted to Him.
In verse 21, Paul asks, "What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." What benefits did come from sinning? For example, did I have any good, lasting fruit from being selfish, mad, or lazy? No, I only got in worse trouble and regret. What about when I was being giving or loving? Sometimes the hard path may not be easy to get onto, but it is worth it once you're on it.
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