Love the "you" you Hide

June 26, 2014

Scripture Reading:
Romans 6:1b-11
6:1b Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?

6:2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?

6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life.

6:5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

6:7 For whoever has died is freed from sin.

6:8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

6:10 The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Message:
As I read this scripture today, something seems new about it. I’ve read this scripture before… but in a different way. I use to read this scripture in a scolding way. The message I got from it was “aren’t you supposed to be dead from sin? Why are you still sinning then?! Try harder, and don’t sin”. However, today the scripture seems more comforting and loving. While this scripture is most certainly telling us not to sin, I also feeling it call us to accept forgiveness for past sins.

If the devil is there plotting against Christians, I think one of the prime tools he would use is guilt. When we feel like we are sinful and do not forgive ourselves, we can start to believe that we aren’t worthy of God’s grace. We can give up. I’ve seen too many people put themselves down because of things they’ve done in the past. Their guilt and regret holds them from seeing the beautiful and wonderful person that they are.

This past Sunday I was singing the hymn “Will You Come and Follow Me”. I know that I’ve sung this Hymn before, but never have the words impacted me as much as they did on Sunday. When we got to the fourth verse I found I was so moved by it that I couldn’t sing… “Will you love the ‘you’ you hide if I but call your name? will you quell the fear inside and never be the same? Will you use the faith you’ve found to reshape the world around, through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?”

 

Imagine how life changing it can be to embrace the wonderful and beautiful “you” that’s inside! There is so much more that you can do for the world when you recognize the fact that you are a child of God who is forgiven and free.  

Time of Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving each of us forgiveness. Let us go forth today into this world to share the love that You have given us with everyone we meet. Guide us with Your grace, and fill us with Your peace, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.


The Lord’s Prayer


Closing Hymn
Will You Come and Follow Me: http://www.msgr.ca/msgr-7/come_and_follow_me%20THEME%20HYMN.htm

May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." Amen.

Go in peace, serve the Lord
Thanks be to God