March 2

Read: Romans 6:16-18

Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart (Romans 6:17, R.S.V.).

The Power Of A Right Desire

We saw yesterday that a Christian may have the power to be kept free from sinning. What is the nature of that power?

The New Testament assures us that our relationship to God is fundamentally an attitude of the heart. Sincerity is the human measure of gospel perfection. Our love for God and our wholehearted desire to do His will meets the New Testament standard of righteousness. Paul exclaims, “Thanks be to God, that you.., have become obedient from the heart.”

The miracle of sanctifying grace is that God can change a man’s desires. By God’s grace we can want to do His will more than we want anything else in life. When God’s Holy Spirit takes possession of our lives, our desires become like His desires. If we want to avoid sin more than we want anything else, we can avoid sin. This transformation of the heart’s desire is the power of the Holy Spirit that keeps us from sinning.

We can never gain such power by sheer effort, but it is a gift which we may have for the asking. Do I want to love God with all my heart? Do I want to be like Him? Do I want to be filled with His Holy Spirit? If this is my sincere desire, God will grant it.

To be completely given over to God is the way to be free from sin. This is the way to get sanctified and this is the way to keep sanctified wholly. The Bible declares, “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Romans 6:22, R.S.V.).

Affirmation For Today

I desire the will of God more than any other thing. I shall live today in the light of that desire.