October 2, 2011 … The Plague of Plagues

Passage of the Day: Romans 7: 23 [see highlighted verse underlined in bold] … 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

My Journal for Today: In Strength for Today on this date, John MacArthur claims, “Every TRUE (emphasis added) Christian disciple sins and yearns to be free from it.” This, I believe, is accurate; … but WHY? Well, as MacArthur also elucidates with ample reference from Scripture [in parentheses following each point, …

MacArthur points out … that … “Sin …

… PLAGUES EVERYONE (Rom. 3: 19, 23)
… Kills everyone it infects (Rom. 5: 15; Eph. 2: 11)
… Corrupts the mind/heart (Jer. 17: 9; Eph. 4: 17 – 19)
… Brings us under Satan’s control (John 8: 44; Eph. 2: 2)
… Makes us objects of God’s wrath (Eph. 2: 3)
… Robs our peace (Isaiah 48: 22)
… Yields misery (Job 5: 7; Rom. 8: 20a)
… Grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4: 30)
… Causes God not to answer prayer in our accord (1st Pet. 3: 7a; Jams. 5: 16b)
… Limits our service to God (2nd Tim. 2: 20 – 21)
… Can disqualify us for service in God’s Kingdom (1st Cor. 9: 27b)
… Renders worship unacceptable (Ps. 33: 1; Is. 1: 14)
… Causes God to withhold blessing (Jer. 5: 24 – 25)
… Robs us of all joy (Ps. 51: 12)
… Subjects us to God’s chastisement (Heb. 12: 4 – 11; Prov. 3: 11 – 12)
… Stunts our Spiritual growth (1st Cor. 10: 21)
… And above all … SIN DISHONORS GOD" (1st Cor. 6: 19 – 20).

Are these not enough reasons to motivate us as Christians to avoid sin in our lives? I would exhort you to do some meditation and study on those verses listed above; and if you do, you will come away, as I have, with a more intense hatred of the sin in your life. If for no other reasons than the first and last reasons listed above [and capitalized and underlined], we Christians should be driven to avoid sin in our choices and our lifestyle of living sacrifice and worship (see Rom. 12: 1).

Certainly, as I read and studied the above listed verses this morning, I was drawn into agreement with the Apostle Paul as he declared in Rom. 7: 24, “Wretched man (or woman) that I am?” And to think that God’s love, mercy, and grace still attend me and even pursue me as a child of God. And this little study alone shows me that there are things which I can do to avoid sin which dishonors God; and that is what we’ll be pursuing in the rest of our study this month. I sure hope you want to surrender more to God’s Spirit and join me in this quest for God’s freely given righteousness.

My Prayer Today: O Lord, You have freed me from the effects of my sin … HALLELUJAH! Amen