Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – The Virtuous Life – Day 237 – Romans 6-15-19 – Slaves Of Righteousness – Growing As Disciples
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Romans 6:15-19 (ESV)
Obey Me
Why do you want to obey me? Is it tremendously hard for you to obey me? Is obeying me an exceedingly difficult decision for you to make? Are you torn between different priorities when you are thinking about obeying me? Do some of these questions seem ridiculous to you? I wouldn’t say that. You might think it? That is possible. But I would like to answer these questions right now. Go ahead. In fact, the words, “right now” are important. How so? The time to decide to obey you is “right now.” Why is that? “Right now”, I am not facing a temptation. “Right now”, the world and all the evil in it is not attempting to entice me. “Right now”, I do not feel the allure that temptation can present. So, making an advance decision that I will obey you is timely and important. Attempting to make that decision later, in the heat of the moment, is the wrong time and too late. Can you say more about why making an advance decision to obey me is so important? Yes, I can. If I am determined to obey you, I will not allow myself to enter into tempting situations. That is at least half the battle. Yes, it is. Once more, If I am determined to obey you, I will have a list of things that I will never do. My advance decision will guide to where I will not go and to what I will never do. That is very good.
You have highlighted when it is the best time to decide to obey me. You have not told me why you want to obey me. Where does your desire to obey me come from? My desire to obey you comes from my heart. I love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. Obeying you is what I want to do. I am not torn between priorities when I must reaffirm my decision to obey you. Obeying you is not an exceedingly difficult decision to make. It is not tremendously hard for me to obey you. Do I obey you perfectly? Do I never sin? The answer is obvious. I do not obey you perfectly. I am not without sin. But the overwhelming desire and course of my life is to follow and obey you with all that is within me because I love you. That is very good. Thank you, Lord, for your love for me. Help me to keep on obeying you from my heart. You can count on it.
Lord, I will not allow myself to become a slave of sin. Those days are gone. You set me free. You broke sin’s power over me. Now, I will distance myself from sinful temptations. Now, I will be obedient from the heart to what you have and are now teaching me. Amen
Key Question… Why will you never regret being obedient from the heart to all that the Lord has taught you?
Living It Out… Be obedient from the heart to all that the Lord has taught you.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to be obedient from the heart to all that you have been taught.
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are being obedient from the heart to the Lord’s teaching.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you be obedient from the heart to all that the Lord has taught you.
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