Romans 6:17-18
Years ago, when I was a youth pastor, I had a tough situation. I had one of my teenage girls about to “move in” with a guy much older than her. I sat down and explained to her why Biblically and practically this was a bad idea. She didn’t listen to me, and it eventually shipwrecked her relationship with God. Many years later, I am not even sure if she is serving the Lord in a good church. I hope that she is, but it’s doubtful.
There have also been plenty of other times where I preached the Gospel to both teenagers and adults with the majority of them rejecting the truth. That’s hard to take when you know what is in store for their futures. I have had several conversations with people over the years who wanted to debate the authenticity of the Bible or the reality of a creator or the need for a Savior. It’s frightening to think that these people’s destiny is hell unless they repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. It’s that serious, but they don’t get it, at least not right now.
What encourages me is that you are NOT that person! You have either “believed” in Jesus for salvation, or you’re a “seeker” interested in God in some way. I know this because you wouldn’t be reading this devotional unless you were interested in “knowing God” in some way. Nothing is more impactful in my life than seeing a person pass from “spiritual death to spiritual life” trusting Jesus as his or her Savior. This is exactly the kind of joy that Paul had in this section to the Romans. You MUST make sure that you are like the Romans in what Paul says here.
At one time, Paul’s listeners were pagans on their way to hell. They were indulging their sinful desires of greed, materialism, sensuality, bitterness, hatred, or something else that is sinful according to God’s truth. They were “slaves” to sin. It defined them like an angry man who is always “flying off the handle” at his co-workers. It defined them like a “pleasure-seeker” who is always indulging in pornography or drunkenness or illicit drugs or gluttony. It defined them in selfishness instead of selflessness. Simply put, it defined them; that is, until they repented of their sin and turned to Jesus for life-change.
What was the key? It was the moment. The moment when given the opportunity to choose God over self, they responded in humility. Now, those previous issues and addictions no longer define them, and they no longer control them. They have been “set free!” Have you ever seen an angry man become a gracious man? Have you ever seen a gossiping woman become a serving woman? Have you ever seen a selfish father become a sacrificing father? Have you ever seen a critical wife become a supportive wife? Have you ever seen an abusive husband become a loving husband? That, my friends, is the life-changing power of the Gospel! The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ changes lives!
So, here’s the crux of the matter: what are you doing with what you are hearing? Paul stated that what changed everything for the Romans was that they “wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which they were entrusted.” How good of a listener are you? How much of the preaching and teaching of God’s Word are you applying to your life? Remember the frightening words that Jesus shared in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Go against the norm and be a good listener of God’s truth! Thankfully, the Romans received God’s Word, and it changed their lives. What about you and me? When truth is shared, listen to it! There is a lot at stake including your present purpose and future destiny!
There have also been plenty of other times where I preached the Gospel to both teenagers and adults with the majority of them rejecting the truth. That’s hard to take when you know what is in store for their futures. I have had several conversations with people over the years who wanted to debate the authenticity of the Bible or the reality of a creator or the need for a Savior. It’s frightening to think that these people’s destiny is hell unless they repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. It’s that serious, but they don’t get it, at least not right now.
What encourages me is that you are NOT that person! You have either “believed” in Jesus for salvation, or you’re a “seeker” interested in God in some way. I know this because you wouldn’t be reading this devotional unless you were interested in “knowing God” in some way. Nothing is more impactful in my life than seeing a person pass from “spiritual death to spiritual life” trusting Jesus as his or her Savior. This is exactly the kind of joy that Paul had in this section to the Romans. You MUST make sure that you are like the Romans in what Paul says here.
At one time, Paul’s listeners were pagans on their way to hell. They were indulging their sinful desires of greed, materialism, sensuality, bitterness, hatred, or something else that is sinful according to God’s truth. They were “slaves” to sin. It defined them like an angry man who is always “flying off the handle” at his co-workers. It defined them like a “pleasure-seeker” who is always indulging in pornography or drunkenness or illicit drugs or gluttony. It defined them in selfishness instead of selflessness. Simply put, it defined them; that is, until they repented of their sin and turned to Jesus for life-change.
What was the key? It was the moment. The moment when given the opportunity to choose God over self, they responded in humility. Now, those previous issues and addictions no longer define them, and they no longer control them. They have been “set free!” Have you ever seen an angry man become a gracious man? Have you ever seen a gossiping woman become a serving woman? Have you ever seen a selfish father become a sacrificing father? Have you ever seen a critical wife become a supportive wife? Have you ever seen an abusive husband become a loving husband? That, my friends, is the life-changing power of the Gospel! The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ changes lives!
So, here’s the crux of the matter: what are you doing with what you are hearing? Paul stated that what changed everything for the Romans was that they “wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which they were entrusted.” How good of a listener are you? How much of the preaching and teaching of God’s Word are you applying to your life? Remember the frightening words that Jesus shared in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Go against the norm and be a good listener of God’s truth! Thankfully, the Romans received God’s Word, and it changed their lives. What about you and me? When truth is shared, listen to it! There is a lot at stake including your present purpose and future destiny!
Posted in Devotional