Hebrews 11:6
November 3, 2023
FEAST OF SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO – 4th NOVEMBER
November 4, 2023
THE 3rd of NOVEMBER
THE FRUIT OF OUR LIVES DEPENDS ON WHOM WE OBEY
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. – Romans 6:20-21
What the apostle Paul has said in the above verses, is a valid general principle in anyone’s life, before becoming a Christian and submitting to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. For anyone subjected to the carnal nature, it is not enough to have the desire to do good, because evil is their first choice, and doing good requires effort and determination. The meaning of the original Greek text says, “when I would do good,” which means that “to do good” is not a permanent desire of the carnal nature, instead the drive to sin is inherent. After being born-again, we are holy in our spirits or “inward man,” where we have “the mind of Christ,” but until we renew our physical minds through God’s Word, we continue to be subject to the lusts of the flesh.
In the “inward man” we love God’s commands, and we totally want to obey His will. But the flesh is still weak and fights against the lordship of the Holy Spirit. If we try to do good based just on our own strength, we often fail. But when we understand as Paul did, that through Jesus Christ we are delivered from the law of sin and that we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose right, we can do more and more good. The truth is that “there is… no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
SUGGESTED PRAYER
Thank You Lord for delivering me from the law of sin and from the power of evil. By loving You more and focusing on the truth of Your Word, desiring to allow it to renew my mind and change me, I can sin less. Thank You Holy Spirit for the guidance, strength, and joy that I find in Your presence, which help me control my desires. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ that has made me free from the law of sin and death. Glory and honor to Your Holy Name, forever and ever. Amen.
Source: thetruthstandsforever
