Truely New

DEVOTION
ROMANS
TRULY NEW
Rom 6:1-4
6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. NIV
It always seems to amaze me how I cannot fully understand how it is I am truly a new creature in Christ. Or is it simply I now live a new life in him. This idea of saying “no to sin” does have a whole lot of merit. I did live my earlier life, before Christ was a part of me, free from any restrictions on my thoughts or actions. However, now that I died, metaphorically, with Christ and was raised from the dead a new person, I no longer live void of restrictions upon my thoughts and actions. I now live to serve and please my Lord, at least that is how it should be, but I fail to live up to those expectations and in doing so, how do I reconcile myself with this verse of scripture? Did Paul actually live completely free of sin? Has any man or woman lived completely free from sin, other than Christ? Or is it simply a matter of having the right intentions? I intend to live this new life, to have my thoughts and actions agree with God’s Word. I intend to study His Word and apply the truths to my own being, to incorporate them into my mind, soul, body and spirit. I desire to be a man after his own heart. I want to be the man God desires me to be. However, no matter how intense my intentions, I still fail. No, it must be more than Godly intentions, it must be actuality. I must ask myself; who is in control of me, God or me? Is this failure, this sin, I experience simply the old life resurrecting itself, or it is truly dead? It is, and I am living a new life, Praise God! This new life is a journey, one I now travel with God, growing and learning, listening and allowing Him to guide and direct my thoughts and actions. But, still I must make a conscience decision to live this new life. The rest of these verses in chapter 6 surely lead me to this point.