With Great Forgiveness....Comes Great Responsibility!

Ok....so I love Spiderman. I might as well just come right out and say it - based on the title of today's blog.

A few days ago in my devotional I read 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1. This section is titled 'Believer's Freedom' in the NIV. Read these verses. Think on them for a few minutes. Ask God to show you what they mean. After that, read what I write below and see how it aligns with what God spoke to you about.

Thanks to Christ, everything is different than the time before his life. We now live under the 'new covenant'. What that means is we don't live under the 'law' that way God's people did in the time of the old testament. Thanks to Jesus, we have been forgiven of all sins - and we all have a long list. The laws are not the rules to please God - but His guidance to us on how to remain under His umbrella of protection. Based on that - some may say, 'well....technically, I'm going to be forgiven anyway...so why not just do this thing - that I know I shouldn't do - and repent later'. The verses above are the reason not to think that way.

With great forgiveness, comes great responsibility. God has forgiven us of every sin we have ever committed and every sin we will commit in the future. However, if we truly are thankful to God for such an unbelievably gracious gift...should we not ask Him how we can show Him thanks and gratitude? If we do - He'd say - 'show others the love I have for you...the protection I offer you...be an example of my way...the way Jesus was an example for you." Paul urges the people of Corinth to be considerate and not cause others to stumble. As Christians - we should be proud, trustful, and thankful of God's way - and our lives should be a walking example of that. When we choose the path of temptation, we are saying that God's way is only good some of the time - and our friends, brothers, sisters, parents, kids that look up to us at church - might think, 'well, I guess God's way isn't the only way'. We don't want to live that lie. No one said it'd be easy. But it certainly will be rewarding - when we can look at the face of God and He will say to us: 'Well done, good and faithful servant!' Mathew 25:21

See you at Illuminate tonight!! Hope everyone is signed up for D-Now....it's going to be great!