Living FreeSample

Prayer: Father, help me recognize my daily need for the forgiveness found through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Wages of Sin

To survive in this world, most people need money. You need money to buy the necessities of food, water and shelter. To receive money, most people have to spend time working. Paychecks result from working which allow someone to eat, drink, live, pay your bills, and have fun. The work you do earns a wage that results in life. 

Paul also teaches us that the wages of our sin is death. Sin never produces life. Everything that sin produces will ultimately lead to death. This is where we all started, but it's not where we have to end. Jesus does not leave us without hope. Our sin and rebellion earned us death, but his death and resurrection earns us life now and forever. This does not mean our life on earth will be perfect. However, it does mean we do not fear what life will bring because we know that we will spend eternity with the Father. 

As a follower of Jesus we have to make a choice every day to use our bodies for evil or to use our body for righteousness. Paul is affirming that our wickedness can produce death, but if we allow the Holy Spirit to take hold of our desires, our faith can produce holiness, which leads to life!

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. When have you seen sin result in destruction?
2. When have you seen self-sacrifice result in life?

What’s Next?

1. Make a list of everything you'll spend money on over the course of the next week. Pick one thing you've written that's not an absolute necessity & consider how you could use that money to bless someone else if you sacrificed your personal desire for it. Now go be a blessing!