All God Asks of You

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Romans 6:22 (NIV)

As children grow up, they easily adapt to the different stages of their lives without even realizing it. At a certain age, they become attached to the toys or clothes they love, never seeming to part with them. At another age, they desire something other than toys, sometimes a friend at school or a place. As a parent, you spend time with them, you tolerate them up to a point, and then you begin to separate them from them.

A child's attitude is an example of our attitude toward God. Without realizing it, children are enslaved to what they are attached to. Just as they become attached to what they love, we also become attached to the sin we love, to the point of no longer wanting to be separated from it. We become enslaved to that sin. God, in His love, also tolerated us for a time. But, wanting to spare us His wrath, He delivered His Son to the cross to free us from sin.

Did you know that blood and the cross are two different things in the process of saving sinners? While blood was shed for the sins of all, the cross is intended for the sinner, who must acknowledge his sin and what Christ accomplished for him. Becoming a slave of God, in this sense, means benefiting from His salvation, His holiness, and the eternal life for which Christ gave His life. All God asks of you is to detach yourself from what you love in the world and cleave to Him.

May God's grace and peace be with you all.