Bound to Be Good

Scripture Reading

Romans 6:15-18 Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Devotional

It’s often said that we cannot serve two masters. We are either choosing God or we’re not. We’re either on his side or we’re against him. We’re either worshipping God or something else like money, family, friends, our jobs, and the list goes on. So, what does it mean if we say that we believe in God, but we choose not to follow him because some things God asks us to do are hard or inconvenient? It’s a lot like the first verse of this scripture. Just because we’re covered by grace, does not mean we should continue in sin without a second a thought. In fact, we really should feel embarrassed by our sin because we know better. When we are made new through belief and baptism, the old sinful ways shed away and we begin anew. It’s a freeing of our sins, but also it gives us a new purpose and understanding. That understanding is that those sinful ways were not of God, they were of flesh. We don’t want to be bound to flesh because it dies in the end. Instead, we are bound to the goodness to God and our purpose becomes to serve him.

If we are now slaves to God, meaning that we choose to serve him and for the goodness of his kingdom, then we need to think of our actions a little differently. The term slave, can be a little odd to digest in the context of goodness. However, it’s really quite simple, we’re either representing God or we’re representing evil in all that we do. Sometimes I imagine that I’m wearing a huge sign on me at all times that says “God’s Ambassador” and then when I catch myself slipping or wanting to do something ungodly, I ask myself “Is this a good representation of God? What are my actions saying to other people who may not yet know God?” It’s just one mental reminder that helps me keep myself in check. I do want to emphasize that it’s not that God expects us to be perfect. It’s about whether we’re taking advantage of God’s grace by continuing in sin without repentance.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of the word ‘repent’ is to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life; to regret; or to change one’s mind. In other words, when we sin, we should feel convicted by the Holy Spirit and that conviction should lead us to want to change our ways. It doesn’t mean that we should wallow in guilt and self-pity. Only that we should confess to God our sins and have an earnest desire to change with God’s help.

So, let’s live each day as though we have a huge sign on that says “God’s Ambassador” knowing that some days we may trip and fall into muddy sin, but God will be there with a garden hose to spray off the stain of sin and help us back up. In doing so, the mud of sin falls back to the ground and remains a part of the Earth in the end while we rise up by God’s grace. Praise God. Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your grace that never ends. Thank you for freeing me from the bondage of sin and allowing me to serve you. Lord, I pray that these words will be like a seed that is planted in my heart and mind. Lord, I repent for my sins and thank you for another chance. Please help me in the areas that I am weak for my sake and the sake of your kingdom. Amen.