Dead to Sin

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:11-14

I love these verses because they tell us to rid our mortal bodies of sin and evil desires. Instead, we need to offer the parts of our body to God as instruments of righteousness. For, sin shall not be our master for we are under grace. Jesus has saved us from our past sins. Therefore, we no longer need to be a slave to our evil desires. I was talking to my overweight sister-in-law. And she said "I'm not going to NOT eat good food if it's in front of me." I thought about it for a long time. Do we have to give up things we find to taste good? Or can we have all things in moderation? What's the middle ground? Most of all, what does God tell us to do? After all, His opinion is the only one that matters to me.

I think God tells us that we can't be a slave to anything. If we can take food or leave it, it no longer has a grip on us. If we can go to a feast and be tempted and still say 'no, thank you' then we don't necessarily have to worry about can we eat this or that. But, if we are being mastered by our cravings, if we feel like we can't say no if there is something delicious near us (even if we're full, for example), if we are so caught up in the sin of overeating that we can't seem to lose weight or honor God with our bodies, then I think a change is necessary. I'm not saying what that change is... but I think the Holy Spirit will guide what needs to happen if we are pursuing righteousness through the Word of God. In the meantime, offer the parts of your body to the Lord as instruments of righteousness instead of sin. Do something healthy, do something for someone else, do whatever God calls You to do as His instrument. We no longer have to be slaves to meal time but can enjoy life and what God is calling us to do.

My prayer for each reader is that you no longer feel defeated or a slave to your past habits but that you truly sense the grace of God taking you on a new journey, one where you learn what is good for your body and what to do to be more like Jesus Himself.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your Word tells us that we're not under the law, we're not slaves to sin and instead we're under Your almighty grace. God, we confess that we've screwed up and let sin rule us, and we're so thankful for Your forgiveness and continued grace on this journey. Help us not give up. Let us know EXACT steps to take to offer our bodies to You as instruments of righteousness. May You use us for Your heavenly purposes here on earth. What a humbling thought! May we glorify and honor You with our bodies... please make us healthy, thin and beautiful and may we praise You every step of the way. In Jesus' name, AMEN!