Bible Reading: Romans 8:11-17 & 1 Peter 2:13-17
Some people choose to put off becoming a Christian saying, "I can't pay the price." What they mean is that they don't want to give up their old life in order to start a new life
with Jesus. That's a really bad excuse for putting off making the most important decision of all eternity. God isn't asking you to pay the price for your salvation. Jesus already did that when He died in your place on the cross. All you and I need to do is ask God's forgiveness for our sins and accept the price Jesus paid as the price, paid in full, for the forgiveness of all of our sin.
Once we ask God’s forgiveness for our old, bad behavior and ask Jesus to become a part of our lives, we become new. Romans 8:1 & 2 say, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” When we ask Jesus into our hearts and lives, God forgives our past and give us the chance to choose a new future.
While there are some things that God knows aren’t best for us and doesn’t want us to do, He won’t force us to give up anything for Him. Instead, He offers us the opportunity to choose between the old, hurtful things and new, beneficial things.
With Jesus in our lives, we have the freedom to choose. We can choose to keep living our old way or we can choose to do things that are better for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
We also begin to understand why God wants us to avoid some things. We begin to want choose not to do some of the old things because we understand they aren’t what is best for us and we begin to want to choose to do better things, things that please God.
Is there something that you think you just can’t live without? Do you think that you will have to give up thing if you let Jesus take the lead in your life?
Don’t worry. Give your life to God. Trust Him. You can then use your freedom in Christ to choose to do what is best.
“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” 1 Peter 2:16
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to use my freedom in Christ to choose to do things that are best for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.