Is it time to reverse course?
Are you tired of holding your breath, hoping your choices won’t catch up with you, scared someone will find out about your messed-up life?
When everything feels as if it’s coming apart, do you find yourself wondering, “Why did I let it go this far?”
Sometimes, we can reverse course in time to avoid being found out or experiencing dire consequences. Other times, we don’t change course quickly enough and our sin causes so much damage that we can’t hide anymore.
We often say, “Better late than never.” But how often must we experience the devastating effects of our sins, both to ourselves and to others, because we acted too late? How often must we repeat our sinful behavior before we’ve finally had enough? Or before those we share life with have had enough? Before it’s too late to make amends.
Romans 6:6 (ESV) offers us reassurance: “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
If we pray and ask God to help us fully understand the meaning of this verse, it could change our lives.
Jesus’ death and resurrection not only paid the penalty for our sins, it also freed us from sin’s control. Since we’re no longer slaves to sin, we don’t have to hold our breath, hoping our choices won’t catch up with us. We have the power to make choices that honor our Savior.
If you meditate on Romans 6 every day this week, you’ll find yourself believing its liberating message more and more. Spending even just a little time each day meditating on this and other verses will reap marvelous benefits.
I’m not suggesting there’s instant deliverance when we meditate on Bible verses. Personal experience, however, has taught me that we can experience victory over sin – even sin that seems to cling to us – when we continually surrender our will to the One Who surrendered His life for us. And surrender starts with meditating on God’s truth.
The alternative is to arrive at a moment of choice, then hold our breath for the next week, month, year or the rest of our lives, hoping the damage won’t be too great or we won’t be found out.
Is this really the way we want to live?
Sheryl H. Boldt, a Franklin County resident, is the author of the blog, www.TodayCanBeDifferent.net. Connect with her at SherylHBoldt@gmail.com.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.