The Choice

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

Whether we mean to or not, we either give our hearts to Christ, or we give our hearts to sin. The spiritual realm is very binary in that way. Both the way of sin and the way of God will require payment of your life. Sin will take your life, while Christ will ask you to lay it down. This difference is subtle, but important all the same. It hints at the truth that sin is out to get something from you while Christ is out to give something to you. That’s where the true difference comes in.

In return for giving our lives to sin, we receive death. From an earthly perspective, this makes sense. When someone gives up their life, death is usually the natural return on that investment. But when we give our lives to Christ, when we die to our old selves, when we are crucified with him, our return is not death, but everlasting life. In essence, we are trading a temporary life for an eternal one, lived in intimacy with our merciful Father in Heaven.

When it comes down to it, the choice is simple. You either give your life to sin in order to receive death, or you give your life to Christ and receive not only life, but eternal life. Seems like a pretty easy choice to me.

PRAYER: Thank you, Father that you are the giver of life. Today, I lay down my life before you. I give you my heart, knowing with confidence that I will be raised again with Christ to eternal life. Thank you for the grace that has saved me, and that I can live with you forever.