12/18/18 Freed from Sin

READING: Revelation 1-5  

“. . . to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Revelation 1:6

Today is one of those days when I wonder how I’ve always missed something in the Scripture. Maybe I’ve just slowed down my reading, or perhaps my heart is simply more focused today. Or, maybe it’s more needy today. Whatever is the cause, I’ve been arrested today by this description of Jesus in Revelation 1:5b-6 – “To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

I have thought often about how deeply God loves us, but I don’t think I’ve thought deeply enough about these words: “[He] has set us free from our sins by his blood.” See, I, like most of us, know the savage power of sin. I know from experience the bondage of sin when you want to walk away from it, but it seems it’s more powerful than anything in you. Even when the sins may seem like “little” ones in the world’s eyes, their controlling influence only magnifies their ongoing existence. It’s easy in those times, in fact, to think, “I’ll never have victory.”

But then, Revelation 1:5b jumps off the page into your heart. God loves us, and He loves us so much that He has freed us from the bondage to sin. Through His shed blood, He paid the price for our freedom. What that truth means to me is this: we don’t have to lose the battles of temptation. No lure is more powerful than the Christ who lives in us—the Christ who broke the shackles of sin through His death. We’re on the winning side. 

ACTION STEPS: 

  • If sin is haunting your life today, read Revelation 1:5-6 again. Give God glory.
  • Praise God for the victory that is not dependent on us.

PRAYER: “Lord, thank You for victory through Jesus.” 

TOMORROW’S READING: Revelation 6-10 

 

 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.