Romans 6:11-14 "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 any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."
One morning when my husband and I were doing our devotions, we had an interesting conversation. We usually can glean something from the passage we read every day, and to be honest, I am more verbose in the sharing of insights and connection to our lives then he usually is. (Sorry sweetie.) On that morning, however, my husband's insight was truly inspired.
We were reading the above verse, and were, of course, very challenged by it. If we are alive in Christ and dead to sin, we thought, then why do we continue sinning? If I am seeking the Holy Spirit, wouldn't I be attuned and sensitive to sin in my life? Wouldn't that be as natural as breathing? BAM! Then it hit, and my husband said that faith and our connection to Jesus needs to be at the very core of us, so that we are always aligned with His will and His way. Then he spoke of his sister as an example of focus.
My sister-in-law is a very fastidious person. Her house is always immaculate, and she is always put together with not a hair out of place. I have personally never known anyone with her gift for organization; it factors into every area of her life. She thrives in this environment. I would never say she has OCD - I know that beast too well - but I would say she is particular. Like I said, it is a gift. My husband cannot remember a time that his sister was not this way. Even in their youth, when his and his brother's room looked like a bomb struck with a toy explosion, her toys were always put neatly away back in their proper place. She never had to be reminded to clean up, because she always did it automatically. I am, unfortunately, not gifted in this way. I had to really work on becoming organized and mindful about it.
My sister-in-law never had to struggle trying to redo something or wade thought the mess, because she has always been mindful about taking care of it right away. It is as natural to her as breathing. Is it hard work to be that on top of everything? Absolutely. Is it better for body, mind, and spirit? It certainly is.
We, as believers, should take care of our spiritual mess (sins) right away instead of letting them grow bigger and bigger; we certainly would be more at peace, and better witnesses for God, if we were so connected to the Holy Spirit, that this kind of focus became a state of spiritual being. If we were mindful and prayerful enough that we did not even enter into the mess, even better.
