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19 May 2008
Word on the Web
1 Peter 4 v 1-6
Since Christ suffered while he was in his body, strengthen yourselves with the same way of thinking Christ had. The person who has suffered in the body is finished with sin. Strengthen yourselves so that you will live here on earth doing what God wants, not the evil things people want. In the past you wasted too much time doing what nonbelievers enjoy. You were guilty of sexual sins, evil desires, drunkenness, wild and drunken parties, and hateful idol worship. Non-believers think it is strange that you do not do the many wild and wasteful things they do, so they insult you. But they will have to explain this to God, who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the Good News was preached to those who are now dead. Even though they were judged like all people, the Good News was preached to them so they could live in the spirit as God lives.
It's a tricky thing, this sin business, isn't it? It seems to be so much fun - all this talk of drink and wild parties, doing what we want to do when we want to do it. It sounds like the perfect freedom. Not so. Jesus taught that "everyone who lives in sin is a slave to sin." There is no freedom in sin.
Jesus' death on the cross was to bring us freedom from sin - a freedom to choose not to sin any longer. Have you made that choice? What are your daily struggles against sin? Take some time to commit them to God and ask for His help in putting those temptations to death, so that you can be truly free. Remember - nobody makes us sin: it's a choice that we have control over.
Hopefully, you will be finding it easier to stay away from sin that it used to be. Perhaps you have taken control over some areas of your life, and perhaps in doing that some of your friends have started to mock you, to think you weak because you don't choose to do the "fun" things that they want to do. It won't always feel that way, but it's much better to bear those insults than to give in to sin again. Be strong.
Holy God, these are the things I still struggle with as I try to gain Christ's freedom from sin...
Please help me to be strong: strong enough to resist temptation and strong enough to bear the insults of those who don't yet know the freedom offered to us in Jesus.
Thank you that your love is constant, even when I am not. Amen.
Written by the Revd Steve Faber
Word on the Web
1 Peter 4 v 1-6
Since Christ suffered while he was in his body, strengthen yourselves with the same way of thinking Christ had. The person who has suffered in the body is finished with sin. Strengthen yourselves so that you will live here on earth doing what God wants, not the evil things people want. In the past you wasted too much time doing what nonbelievers enjoy. You were guilty of sexual sins, evil desires, drunkenness, wild and drunken parties, and hateful idol worship. Non-believers think it is strange that you do not do the many wild and wasteful things they do, so they insult you. But they will have to explain this to God, who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the Good News was preached to those who are now dead. Even though they were judged like all people, the Good News was preached to them so they could live in the spirit as God lives.
It's a tricky thing, this sin business, isn't it? It seems to be so much fun - all this talk of drink and wild parties, doing what we want to do when we want to do it. It sounds like the perfect freedom. Not so. Jesus taught that "everyone who lives in sin is a slave to sin." There is no freedom in sin.
Jesus' death on the cross was to bring us freedom from sin - a freedom to choose not to sin any longer. Have you made that choice? What are your daily struggles against sin? Take some time to commit them to God and ask for His help in putting those temptations to death, so that you can be truly free. Remember - nobody makes us sin: it's a choice that we have control over.
Hopefully, you will be finding it easier to stay away from sin that it used to be. Perhaps you have taken control over some areas of your life, and perhaps in doing that some of your friends have started to mock you, to think you weak because you don't choose to do the "fun" things that they want to do. It won't always feel that way, but it's much better to bear those insults than to give in to sin again. Be strong.
Holy God, these are the things I still struggle with as I try to gain Christ's freedom from sin...
Please help me to be strong: strong enough to resist temptation and strong enough to bear the insults of those who don't yet know the freedom offered to us in Jesus.
Thank you that your love is constant, even when I am not. Amen.
Written by the Revd Steve Faber
