"When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the Devil." 1 John 3:7-8
These two short verses go a long way toward explaining that we have two choices to make when it comes to how we live. There is no middle road...there is no gray area. It comes down to our decision to either live a life that is right or live a life that is wrong.
Now hopefully, we have some concept between right and wrong to start with. Most people had the benefit of having parents, grandparents, teachers, and others teach them the basics tenets of living life the right way. Typically, we learn that if we do right, there are rewards for good behavior. Conversely, we are taught that there are consequences for the choice to do wrong. And yet, we still have a tendency to do the things we know we shouldn't do. Those actions are the essence of sin and as our scripture tells us today, sin is of the Devil. We also know that sin is at the pint most distant away from Christ who represents righteous living.
Trust in this, Jesus Christ is in no way present when anyone decides to engage in sinful behavior. He cannot be in partnership with sin. So while under control of sin, you are also under the Devil's control.
So the choice is far more than just deciding whether to do right or wrong. The choice is to whether you will choose to partner with the Devil or Jesus. You can't choose both.
In a prior devotional, we mentioned that Jesus intercedes for us before God as we face His judgment at death if He knows us. The danger in deciding to partner with the Devil vice Jesus is that He will not know you when your judgment time comes. And that's an eternal risk.
Question: What kind of life are you living? Are you consistently striving to live right in accordance with the expectations of Jesus, developing a relationship with the One who wants to lead you to eternal life? Or does sin appeal to you more as you live a life in partnership with the Devil? Is sin worth losing your chance at eternal life with God and His Only Son, Jesus?
My prayer for you is that you ever place Jesus at the center of your life. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Make Jesus, not sin, your treasure...put Him in your heart and sin will not have any room to take a foothold. Just as Jesus cannot partner with the Devil, so too can the Devil not be in partnership with Jesus. At the name of Jesus, the Devil will flee and sin will go along with Him. Make a commitment right now to Jesus and renew that commitment every day as you start in prayer. Righteousness will follow and you'll find a life like no other when you're living free of the destructiveness of sin.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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