Thought of the Day !!

God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?
Romans 5:20-6:2 (NLT)

Paul has made it clear that God's grace can outdo, outlast, and outlive sin. So if God's grace is so great that no matter how much we sin we can still be forgiven, should we not take advantage of it and live it up, sinning till our hearts are content?

NO!! says Paul. Of course not. We died to sin. In other words, we died to the penalty of sin, which is death. And we were raised with Jesus for a new life. Are we sinless after this? No, but our new lives are not ruled by the law that shows our sin. They are ruled by God's grace.

So why not take advantage of being able to sin more and be forgiven? First of all, every time we sin we push ourselves away from God. He still loves us the same. But in essence, we brush off that love (at least to some extent).

Also, when we sin, we can be forgiven. God can, and will forgive sinners who come to Him and ask and repent (which means to change). But the sins we are forgiven of still leave scars. I am embarrassed by some of my memories of sin. The sin is forgiven in me. But the memory, and the scar, remains because no matter how hard we try we cannot undo what we've done.

Sin goes against the moral fiber of who we are. And if we continue to sin, knowing we will ask for forgiveness, then the sincerity of our repentance will become nonexistent and God will most likely not forgive.

When we actively try our best to follow Jesus and love the way he taught us to, then sin will decrease. We most likely will never be totally sinless, but we can work towards perfection in Christian love, having Jesus rule our hearts. Then we will have more joy and will become more complete than by trying all the worldly sins we could ever imagine trying.

God's grace is so abundant that no matter what we have done, where we have been, or even what we will do in the future God can, and is willing to forgive us...His children. If He loves us that much, then shouldn't we strive to give Him our whole selves as well?

In the love of Christ,
greg