How do you feel about obedience? Is obedience only something you demand of others? Do you dislike being obedient to someone else? Do you realize you are obedient to one or another? You are either obedient to evil or good?
Many people in this world like to believe they can live in a gray area. They like to believe they are good, and they often do good. Yet they also do things they want that are not good. However, there is no gray area.
As we see in today’s passage, we obey one or the other. We follow a life of sin or a life of righteousness. It is a black and white decision. There is no gray area. We follow God’s commands, guidance, and plan for our lives, or we don’t. We make a choice to be obedient to one or the other.
Paul gives thanks the people of the church in Rome had chosen to be obedient to righteousness. He understood there was a huge difference between the two. He knew the reward for following righteousness and the punishment for sin. As we understand the dramatic difference in the two, we will give thanks for the decision we make and those we love make to follow righteousness as well.
Thanks goes to God for providing us the choice. Thanks that He welcomes us into His arms when we choose to obey Him. Thanks that He is patient with us. Thanks be to God for continually pursuing us while we are sinners. Thanks to Jesus for willingly being our perfect sacrifice. Thanks that we can be confident God will forgive us. Thanks be to God for loving us and providing for all our needs.
I pray we all make the choice to be obedient to God. I pray we choose good over evil. I pray each one of us will give thanks to God for all He has done and continues to do for us. Choose good over evil. Choose to be obedient to God. Give thanks to God. Thank God for His provisions. Thank God for saving you. Thank Jesus for being your perfect sacrifice. Thank God for His patience.
Romans 6:16-18 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Marty Pressey 