Romans 6:22-23
But now that you’ve found you don’t
have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the
delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole,
healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the
way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But
God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever known someone
who had a good job with decent pay, a pension, and benefits…and he/she
gave it all up for something that seemed like “quick, easy money”? The
“get-rich-quick scheme” proved to be just that – a scheme. And the
person who had signed on for this was left looking for any job that
would pay the bills…and facing a situation where he/she would have to
work long past “retirement age” – if retirement could ever become a
possibility. I’ve heard more than one such person say, “If only I had
stayed where I was and kept on working, I’d be enjoying my retirement
now.”
There are times when a job change is merited. There are
legitimate offers and circumstances that prove to be a good business
opportunity for some folks. But most of the time, there is no “easy
way” to success and “riches”…and no substitute for hard work. Usually,
the grass truly isn’t any greener on the other side…although plenty of
people stand before you and make such claims. And it’s the same with
sin.
We are faced with a barrage of opportunities to serve the
devil. He makes it look so fun and inviting…and so easy! Criticize and
talk about others, and your friends will think you are cool and “in the
know.” Do whatever it takes to get ahead, because nobody else is
looking out for your interests! Grab the gusto and take whatever you
want, because life is short… and time’s a wastin’! Stick up for your
interests and your specific “ilk” (race, socio-economic class, sexual
orientation, ethnic group, political party, religious affiliation and/or
denomination, gender, and more) – even at the expense of others.
Because we live in a dog-eat-dog world, and if you don’t get what is
rightfully yours, the other guy surely will! Have all the fun you can –
sow your wild oats – there is plenty of time to be “good” later!
You
get my drift. We are bombarded with temptations to sign on for a
sin-filled life - and the instant gratification that it can seem to
bring. But we don’t think about the consequences. To many, the life as a
servant of Jesus seems mundane…like drudgery that never ends. Some look
at a life-long disciple of Christ and think, “He/she worked all his/her
life to serve others…and where did it get them?” I’ll tell you…headed
for a mansion in Paradise, where the streets are paved with gold and
there are no more tears or hardships of any kind! Most likely, it also
got them a life filled with blessings and peace as they served God and
pleased Him – and reaped the benefits of the efforts put forth in His
name.
So think about the “wages of sin”…what you ultimately
receive for this sort of living. Then consider the “reward” for serving
Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I know of some pretty miserable
“millionaires”…and some extremely happy and blessed “poor folk!” Now
which camp would you really rather be in?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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