He Set Me Free to Live for Him
Romans 6:22-23
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Raised in a ‘Christian’ home, it was the norm to read the Bible every day, to attend church on Sundays, and to be involved in church activities. It was a long time before I realized that it was all an act; all done either as a way to pass time, or because I was forced to. Looking back I can now see that my life had no meaning or purpose back then, and the Bible was nothing but a storybook of sorts to me.
When I was around 13, I began to fall into lust and sexual sin. I soon started living a life full of sin, yet I walked around like nothing was wrong. Over the years, I freely attended many Christian youth camps and during multiple altar-calls declared “I give my life to Christ”. Because there was no real change of heart, I would be on a spiritual ‘high’ for a while and then go right back deeper into my sin. But every time I fell into sin, the Holy Spirit would convict me and I would confess, but powerless to fight the temptation, I would go back to sinning.
As I began to realize the power of sin over me and as I saw my own inability to overcome it, I started giving up any hope of redemption for a wretch like me. This started affecting the way I viewed people around me, it affected many of my relationships, and it disturbed me deeply to see the extended effect of my sin on my life.
Over the years, I had been part of many Bible studies, mostly to show people that I was an ardent ‘Christian’. A few years back, while attending one amongst the many studies I was part of, God took mercy on me and touched my heart. That day, God used a verse that I had thought nothing of until then, to start something amazing in my life!
God spoke to me through Romans 6:22-23. He opened my eyes to see my sins, he convicted me, he forgave me, and then he set me free! Free to live my life, which was his grace, so that his name would be glorified!
Romans 6 is close to my heart because it taught me about God’s amazing grace and love for a wretch like me. Through the death of His Son, Jesus, I have now been given the free gift of salvation and eternal life.
I once was lost, but now I’m found! I was dead in sin, but now I am alive in Christ! It’s no longer I, but Christ who lives in me!
Looking back, I can now see the steadfast mercy, the unfailing love, and the amazing grace of my Savior. I still struggle, but I am no longer overcome by sin. Through Christ, I now have the power and grace to face any temptation that comes my way, and I will strive to fight the good fight of faith, until the day he comes, or calls me home.