Tag: Righteousness

Morning Musing: Romans 6:1-2

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“What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

What should be the relationship of the follower of Jesus to sin? Obviously we shouldn’t do it, but let’s be honest: a simple “ought not” isn’t usually sufficient to keep us from it. We need to understand the why behind the should not before we’re going to wrap our heart and mind around it to a sufficient degree that it begins to have the kind of power in our lives it needs to have. Here in Romans 6, Paul explores this very idea. His treatment may not be exhaustive, but it is powerful. Let’s spend some time unpacking this together. 

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A Letter to My Sons

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This past Sunday was Father’s Day. As a dad myself, it was a chance to get a bit reflective. What would I tell my three boys if I had the chance? Here’s what I said.

A Letter to My Sons

There are occasions in our lives that prompt us to do some deep thinking.  For me at least, days like today are one of those times.  As I was preparing for this morning, I began thinking about what I would like to say to my sons if I had the chance.  You know, one of those deep, parental wisdom speeches that they won’t want to sit and listen to until I’m lying on my death bed and they’re hanging on my every word.  As I grow in my experience as a parent and Noah and Josiah and Micah grow up some of what I have to say to them will probably change, but hopefully not much.  As it turns out, there isn’t children’s church scheduled for today which means they’re stuck in here and have to listen to this.  Well…I can’t make them listen—when I figure that out I’ll let you know just after I patent it and retire—but they’re at least going to be in the room while I’m saying it.  Anyway, as something a bit different this morning, I’ll let you in my head and heart for a few minutes and then we’ll all go out and celebrate Father’s Day together. 

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Morning Musing: Deuteronomy 28:1,15

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“Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all his commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth. . .But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you.” (CSB – Read the chapter) 

Every day we are faced with choices. We face all kinds of choices. We choose what to wear and what to eat. We choose where to go and what to do when we get there. We choose what kind of attitude we will have and how we will treat the people around us. Now, very rarely does one single choice hold the power to dramatically impact our lives, but a pattern of choices eventually becomes a habit and our habits do possess such power. There is one choice that is the most important we can make. This choice more than all the rest combined has the power to shape not just our character, but everything about us. Let’s talk about what it is. 

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Digging in Deeper: 1 Corinthians 10:13

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“No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

Nobody’s going to know. It’ll just be this one time. Just this and then that’s it. There’s no other way to get through this. I’m all alone in this. There isn’t anyone who can help. This is just more than I can handle. Which line have you used or had used on you before in a moment of temptation? There are all kinds of lines designed to drag you into sin, but all of them are rooted in lies. Paul identifies three particularly common lines for us here. Let’s take a look at these. 

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Digging in Deeper: 1 Corinthians 6:18

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“Flee sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

I have a pine tree next to my driveway which, if it falls, will land right on my house. It wouldn’t be a glancing blow either. As the tree guy I met with the other day told me, it would slam into the roof line, probably snap off there, the top part would roll down the rest of the roof and land in the front yard, and the main trunk would slice through the brick exterior right through our eight-year-old’s bedroom and into our garage, totaling our fairly recently paid-off minivan. In other words, it would be catastrophic. 

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