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“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NKJV)

Perhaps the only state worse than doing wrong is being wrong.

We need to guard against becoming comfortable with a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s will and way. This is what the Bible calls “sin.”

Oswald Chambers eloquently describes the peril of a conscience that is no longer troubled by wrong-doing: “One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin.”

Stay close to God through prayer, obedience, and the study of the holy scriptures, and you will have a heart that is sensitive to what pleases God — and to what does not please God. This is the surest and the straightest path to life, peace, and joy. – Luther

Tagged obedience, Oswald Chambers, sin, the book of Romans

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“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7, NKJV)

We need to beware of thinking — as most of the world does — that because we have “gotten by” that we have, “gotten away.”

We sin, but because we often do not immediately suffer the consequences of our sin, we think that we have gotten away with sinning. This is akin to thinking that just because we have, somehow, avoided being pulled-over by the sheriff for exceeding the speed limit, that it is somehow okay to exceed the speed limit or that laws against speeding are never enforced.

Don’t be fooled. Unlike the sheriff in the illustration above, we shall have to answer to God for all of our transgressions.

God’s commandments are for our protection, and for our provision.

Just because we are successful in flouting God’s law does not mean that we are wise. We shall be called to give a full and complete accounting, whether in joy because we have obeyed and Christ stands with us; or in tears, because we have sinned and have no Defender. – Luther

Tagged accountability, judgment, obedience, the book of Galatians

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“He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.” (Proverbs 2:7, NLT)

Have you ever taken a short-cut only to discover — late — that your decision will cost you more time, more money, and more energy than the longer way ’round would have?

Have you ever thought that doing the right thing might expose you to less scrupulous people that would take advantage of you or of the situation?

The scriptures tell us that the path of honesty is the correct path — always; and that God will protect all persons of integrity.

Today, make honesty and integrity in every circumstance your goal! – Luther

Tagged God's protection, honesty, integrity, obedience, short-cuts, the book of Proverbs