Just as…so now—Day 5 of the Men’s Swagger Challenge

May 25, 2012

Scripture: 1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9, Romans 6

            Romans 6:13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin.  Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life.  So use your whole body as an instrument to do with is right for the glory of God.  NLT

            Romans 6:19 Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

 

Observation/application

            Paul explains the implications of our baptism: we are dead to sin but alive to God.  Therefore, we should offer ourselves “completely to God”, and offer our whole body (everything we think, say and do) as an “instrument of righteousness”—to do whatever God wants.  Paul calls for full surrender to Christ, as people who were once dead, but have been made alive.  (Imagine being rescued from certain death and telling your rescuer, “I owe you my life.”  That is what we owe Jesus.)

            As if full surrender weren’t enough, Paul then calls for us to pursue God with at least as much energy as we used to devote to pursuing sin!  Verse 19 “Just as…so now.”  Just as you used to offer yourself to sin, so now offer yourself to God.  You used to stay up all night partying; do you ever stay up all night for God (praying, serving, sharing)?  You used to devote every weekend to your own pleasure; do you now devote every weekend to God?  You used to spend everything you made (and more) on yourself; do you now spend everything (or how about something) on God and His purposes?  You used to spend time planning to sin; do you spend time planning to do good, to serve and honor God?

            In short, is your devotion to God as complete and energetic as your devotion to sin and self used to be?  Just as…so now.

 

Prayer: Lord, I admit that I often give you leftovers, that I am not as committed to You as I used to be to myself and my own pleasure.  Help me to offer myself to You today without reservation—to give myself to you as completely as I used to give myself to sin.