Greetings once again!
Oh my oh my. Time has surely past! This is my first post of July. (what?!) Since I live in Canada, I've had the privilege to enjoy our country's birthday on July 1st, Canada Day on a long weekend - in other words, no work for basically everyone this past Monday (yesterday) :D so before I begin, I'd like to give my country a warm acknowledgement. Happy (belated!) 150th Birthday Canada!!
Also, I know that today is Independence Day with our friendly neighbors in the United States, so Happy Independence day to you all. God bless America! :D
I've been a Steemian for almost 1 month now and I've had the pleasure of reading amazing content from this community. Thank you for making this experience so enjoyable and unbelievably encouraging and supportive. You are one of the biggest reasons why I come back. There is truly unity in community when you're engaged on here. I'm extremely grateful to have known this platform at it's infancy. I expect big and great things to happen on here on Steem!
For today's BIOTD, I will using ODB's devotional on Freedom - a fitting topic for a very patriotic day for a blessed country like the USA. I will be sharing you scripture from Romans 6, and providing the devotional alongside personal remarks on the passage. God bless you all.
I encourage you all to pray sincerely before you begin this devotional. Simply reading it without the acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit may temper with your edification and sanctification. It is not mandatory, but I would highly recommend you do. A quick prayer will be listed below if you want some guidance and direction in your prayer walk.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Hallowed be Your Name. I thank you for the privilege to learn more about you today. May this passage in your Holy Scripture pierce through my heart. Make me receptive to the Word, and may I not be just a reader of your Word, but a doer as well. This is my prayer - in Jesus name, Amen.
Freedom
Scripture Reading: Romans 6:15-23
NOTE: I highly encourage you to have a physical copy of the Bible. You can buy it online or in-store. I recommend you also download the Bible App onto your phone if you have a smartphone. I only post Scripture for reference sake, but please do not rely on it for your daily Scripture. My hope is that this devotional will be a catalyst into your deeper search and willingness to read through the Scriptures on your own. Thanks! :)
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[a] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 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, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 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.20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 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. 22 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. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Devotional
After being kidnapped, held hostage for thirteen days, and released, New Zealand news cameraman Olaf Wiig, with a broad smile on his face, announced, “I feel more alive now than I have in my entire life.” For reasons difficult to understand, being freed is more exhilarating than being free.
For those who enjoy freedom every day, Olaf’s joy was a good reminder of how easily we forget how blessed we are. This is also true spiritually. Those of us who have been Christians for a long time often forget what it’s like to be held hostage by sin. We can become complacent and even ungrateful. But then God sends a reminder in the form of a new believer who gives an exuberant testimony of what God has done in his or her life, and once again we see the joy that is ours when we are “free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).
If freedom has become boring to you, or if you tend to focus on what you can’t do, consider this: Not only are you no longer a slave to sin, but you are freed to be holy and to enjoy eternal life with Christ Jesus! (6:22).
Celebrate your freedom in Christ by taking the time to thank God for the things you are able and free to do as His servant.
Living for Christ brings true freedom.
Some of the spiritual giants of the church were profoundly changed by Paul’s Spirit-inspired words in Romans. One of those was Martin Luther (1483–1546), a German theologian, writer, and reformer of the church. As a monk, Luther struggled with the impossible task of trying to be righteous on his own merits or works. The words of Romans 1:17, “The righteous will live by faith,” led Luther to realize that justification (being made holy) is through faith by God’s grace alone. God through His Word lifts the burden of sin and sets us free.
Who can you share the freeing words of Romans with today?
Personal Remarks and Conclusion
As I reflect and meditate on Romans 6, I find myself guilty of abusing God's grace and mercy. Since I am a Calvinist, I believe that are truly given assurance of our salvation. I do not think that this is a mandatory viewpoint that all believers should have, since many people are opposed to this view. Regardless, what I mean by this is that I choose to sin because I know that Christ has saved me and changed me already.
I have been in a position where indwelling sin was a problem for me. I would constantly seek Christ's forgiveness after every moment I stumbled into anger, lust, or any other sin that was hindering my walk with the Lord. Constant forgiveness from the Lord is good; but, it becomes murky in times where it is done after the sin has been committed.
This is where true reflection and truth should step in. If you're lying to yourself about the sins you commit, and think they are acceptable in the Lord, you are wrong. You are following lawlessness, abusing the grace of God if you believe you are 100% assured of your salvation in Christ. For me, it took a lot of refinement through the Spirit, and the loss of grandpa to radically change my life, particularly viewing God's mercy and grace. When you abuse grace, God is truly not the Lord of your life. YOU are the ruler of your life. You undermine God's supremacy because He gives you a free gift of Salvation. The price He paid for us is immensely bigger than the term "free". I believe it was freely given to us because His love and grace are infinite and boundless; but, the price we pay should be our entire lives. Christianity does not stop when you accept Him as your Savior. It is only the beginning. May it be an encouragement to us all to walk in line with God, submitting our lives to Him and putting Him first in our lives. Only then, will we know how gracious and merciful He is.