I Accepted Christ: Now What?Sample

Living Differently

We were on one of those annoying stretches of road where the speed limit changes wildly after almost every curve. As I navigated the last turn, I noticed the speed limit dropped by 20 mph. Almost simultaneously, I saw a state trooper with his radar gun pointing my way. I was slowing down, but it didn’t matter. The moment I passed the trooper, I was still a full 10 miles over the limit.

My heart sank as I saw the trooper pull out in my rearview mirror. Moments later, he turned on his lights and blew right past me. Whew.

It’s a special type of relief when we know we’re guilty, but the punishment we deserve doesn’t come. I felt like I had won the lotto.

When Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery, she must have felt relief a thousand times more powerful than avoiding a speeding ticket. She wasn’t facing a fine; she was facing death. But I often wonder, what happened after she got back home?

Was she a prostitute? In a relationship with another woman's husband? Living with her boyfriend? Whatever the case, she had to face some decisions about how to live going forward. And they probably weren’t easy decisions to make.

Repentance is not just about feeling remorse for getting caught. It’s about agreeing with God that our way is wrong and His way is right. It’s about changing our perspectives and attitudes to align with Him and molding ourselves into the image of Christ. To “go and sin no more” means we learn to do life differently.

The Christian life is filled with moments like this. We’re going along in life, happily oblivious to our sin when we read a passage of Scripture, hear a sermon, or talk to a fellow believer, and suddenly our eyes are opened. Our emotions range from guilt, as we realize what we’ve done, to relief, as we realize what Jesus did for us.

But then comes the harder part: living out our new identity. We’ll never get it perfect, but we have to try.

What does “go and sin no more” look like for you, your marriage, or your career?

What can you do to start living differently?