Thoughts on Romans - Day 17

                                         Romans 7:1-6

 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? ² For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. ³ So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.
⁴ So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. ⁶ But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.


          There are 2 ways to live the Christian life. I do believe you can be a saved person in both manners but one way is the right way and one way is the wrong way. One is the free way and one is the bondage way. One is the energizing way and one is the draining way. One is the New Testament way and one is the Old testament way. One is Grace and one is law.

          I often think of it this way. Let's say that I work for the Hospital and they pay my salary. I would get a certain number of sick days and vacation days. I would be expected to look , dress, speak in a way that represents them well. They would expect me to study and stay current with medicine. They would expect me to work a certain number of hours a week and be punctual. In return they would pay me what they deem to be a fair wage. Now let's say I am self employed. I can take as many sick days as I want, as much vacation as I want, I can dress, talk, act any way I want. I can be as punctual or tardy as I want. I can see as many or few patients in a day as I want. The interesting thing is that since I am owner of my own business I find myself never taking a sick day while at least one of my employees is "sick" every week. I find myself coming in earlier and working all night long because I feel responsible to the patients, to the reputation of the practice and to the success of the practice.

        You see, as an employee, I am under bondage, do this or we will let you go. Therefore I do what is demanded of me, no more no less (unless I can get away with it) and hope I am meeting my standards so I can take home a paycheck which I am not grateful for because I earned it. As a non-employee I am free to do whatever I want but I tend to do even better because I am representing the practice that is associated with my name. I am grateful for every paycheck and every patient that passes through the door.

         Paul says this is the way it is in the Christian life. You can live in bondage to the law trying to keep it to please God and living in a continual grumbling, failure mode hoping He will say "good enough" or you can live in the life of the Spirit. In this life you know God has freed you from the law and already accepts you. Therefore you can live a free life representing Him as you go out of gratitude for what He has done without grumbling, complaining, or fear of judgement. Which way are you living? Which way am I living?

             Lord, help me today to live in the Spirit bearing fruit for Your glory not for my acceptance knowing full well that You already think I'm awesome in Your sight. Amen