“Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” – Romans 6:12b
Scripture reading: Romans 6:11-14
I have a vivid childhood memory that involves the father of my good friend. He always had a bag of peanuts with him, and he ate them a lot! I remember asking my friend about his dad’s habit. He told me that his dad ate peanuts because he was trying to quit smoking. Every time he wanted to have a cigarette he was supposed to get some fresh air and eat peanuts!
God doesn’t call us merely to stop sinning. He calls us to take our time, minds, energy and our actions and use them not for what is sinful, but for what is godly. Sanctification is not only a bare-knuckle battle to put sin to death that involves our wills and discipline. It is also an act of discipline and self-control whereby we actively begin to live our lives for God’s glory in service to Christ and His people, both lost and found.
True spiritual disciplines aren’t only reading our Bibles and praying, as helpful as those things are. They also involve service, worship, outreach, mercy ministry, and much more. We are not only to view ourselves, through faith, as dead to sin. We are also to view ourselves, through faith, as being alive to God (see Gal. 2:20)! This means we look at ourselves as being the Lord’s people, His army. We are here for God’s glory – how can we reflect this? Whatever gifts and talents we have, whatever needs may be around us, let us offer ourselves as instruments of righteousness for God’s glory!
Suggestions for prayer
Pray that God would show you ways to grow in living for Him.
Pastor Greg Bylsma is the pastor of the Living Water Reformed Church of Brantford, Ontario (a member church of the URCNA). He is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary and was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 2005. After over 20 years in the ministry, he still loves his job and considers it an incredible honour to be able to teach others about the beauty of Jesus Christ. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.