Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Background

We can’t control how or when we die. That may seem like an overly obvious statement, but sometimes things have to be said out loud for them to sink in. I recently heard an interview of Michael J. Fox, the actor who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. During the interview, he spoke very candidly about what the disease has done to him, and what life for him has become since he learned of his condition. But he said that when he was first diagnosed, there was this sense that the disease was somehow negotiable. He said that it took him a while to realize that his Parkinson’s was not going away, that he would not be able to wrangle his way out of his plight like he had done so many times in so many of his movies. And since then, he has embraced life and his sickness as the gifts that they are, choosing to live with hope and a mission to seek a cure with all his heart. 

Application

When we give our lives to Jesus, there is a certain death that occurs. And many of us have experienced this death in a drastic way. Horrible habits have been dropped and major lifestyle changes have been adopted as new life has entered our souls. The putting to death by the Spirit of these deeds is marvelous and resounding, visibly expressing His saving power, which may not be so obvious in the transformation from lost to saved of others. But the misunderstanding after that, for all of us, is that the deeds of our body still need to be put to death. And not so much the egregious sins. We know those are wrong and need to be repented of. But the deeds that we do, whatever we do of ourselves that subconsciously or subtly ease our worries and make us think we are bettering our position before God, these are those that are according to the flesh, and lead to death. It is our efforts to help ourselves into God’s grace that bring death. The lost spend their lives at it. And we can easily succumb to it as we seek to please our Lord who is already pleased by His sacrifice. So, it turns out you can control how you die. But in God’s grace, He has called us to die once and for all to what will kill us. 

Charge

As we seek Him today, examine your motives for what you are doing and consider how you expect God to react to your deeds. Ask God to put to death the things you are trying to help Him with. 

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words