Daily Devotion for February 1, 2006

Build Ups

 

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6:5-7

 

With the winter months in many places comes the snow. While I like the snow, there are certain aspects of it I do not enjoy. One is that the driving conditions become very poor. Another is that I must shovel the snow around my house, and of course this includes the driveway. I try to NOT shovel the snow thinking “God put it there; He in His time will take it away!”  That doesn’t fly well with my wife!  After we receive a big snowfall, the plows are out on the roads trying to clear them of the snow. By clearing the snow off the road, the driving conditions may improve just a bit. If the snow were to be left on the road, it would only make driving that much more difficult. If I do not shovel the snow out of my driveway I may not be able to get in and out of the driveway. If there were continued snowfalls throughout the winter, the build-up in my driveway would then be an even greater obstacle for me to overcome. By shoveling the snow when it falls, the driveway is kept clear, making it easy to drive in and out.

 

Sin can be like the snow in many ways. It can continue to pile up and offer an obstacle between us and God. It can make the going very tough. How does this sin get cleared? How in our lives do we shovel out the sin? As Christians, we are told in Romans 6:5-7 that we have been united with Christ in his death and his resurrection. Because of this unity with Christ's death, our evil desires, our bondage to sin, and our very love of sin have died with him. Then, in our unity with His resurrection, we have fellowship with God and the chains that bound us to sin have been broken. We know this because we are told that our old self was crucified. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are now free!

 

Prayer
Lord, let us who have died to sin, live in it no longer. Enable us to keep short accounts with you, by confessing our sin quickly, and letting You forgive it before it begins to build up. Amen.

 

---

Did someone send you this Devotion? Would you like to receive future ones directly? Click here to subscribe.

Tim Hetzner - President - Lutheran Church Charities
		333 W. Lake Street, Addison, Illinois 60101
		(866) 455-6466 • Fax: (866) 451-1476
		Web Site: lcc.LutheranChurchCharities.org
		E-Mail: TimHetzner@LutheranChurchCharities.org
At the end of the day. . . Making A Difference In People's Lives and In God's Kingdom