Were to Are

" What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness..." Romans 6:15-16

I came across this passage and read it 3 times over. To me it is so strong. The words that Paul writes from Romans are so clear. We have 2 choices, we can sin and be a slave to our sin, or we can obey and be a slave to obedience. How hard is this choice? Of course, everyone will say that they want to be a slave to obedience but how many of us are? I am being honest here. I want to be a slave to God. I want my life to over flow with HIS goodness. I want the world to know that I am a child of God. I want them to be able to tell that I am a Christian by my actions. And I admit, I have not been living my life like that. I have been living a life as a slave of sin. My thoughts have not been Godly, my words have not been kind, and my actions towards others have been short and quick tempered. I am a slave to sin. This is a constant battle for me. Is it for you? I feel like I get 2 steps ahead with God and then Satan pulls me 14 steps back. Oh Satan is a tricky one. He knows how weak I am. He knows when I am at my lowest points and he steps right in and makes me a slave to sin. However, there is good news! I do not have to live this way. Check out the last part of the verse.

" But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from he heart that form of doctrine to which you have deliver. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." -Romans 6:17-18

Did you catch that? WERE! We were slaves of sin. That is past tense. I made the decision to follow Christ with my whole heart and now I am not slave of sin. I am a slave of righteousness. Does it give you goosebumps? Can you just feel the Holy Spirit working in your heart, telling you that you were and not you are not. Wow! It does for me. It humbles and amazes me.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for this reminder in my life. You are stronger than Satan. You are stronger than me. I praise you. I praise you for the "were" in my life. I praise you for the "are" that I am now. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.