26/12/2011 - OBEY FROM THE HEART

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But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

Romans 6:17

Sin has caused mankind to be completely corrupted. However, the work that Christ accomplished for us was so great that it restored us completely. This means that we, who accept Jesus into our hearts, besides attaining salvation, are no longer imperfect beings without a chance to live in God\’s presence. But to this end, all we have to do is obey the doctrine to which we have been delivered so that we can enjoy all that our Father has for us.

Those who have not yet converted are slaves to sin and as a result they have no clue about what he is missing out on; the very transgression that would give them pleasure is painful and does not bring them true happiness. Because they serve the enemy, these people cannot stop thinking about wicked things and therefore end up missing out on what the Most High has to offer to all who obey Him.

God’s sound doctrine is the best philosophy of life, which should be adopted by all people. In its essence there are only good things and the reward is always much better than any offer made by the enemy. The Lord’s doctrine provides us a pure mind and a quiet heart. If we follow the heavenly guidance we will not be troubled by any onslaught of hell against our life because since there is no condemnation to us, we are able to face the evil one with the assurance that we will come out victorious.

The secret to obey the Lord properly is to do it from the heart, because He does not share His glory with anyone. The Almighty knows our motives even before we open our mouths (Psalm 139:4). If, by any chance, we have a divided mind, or do not deliver our heart in God\’s hands, we will not be accepted, let alone heard. What counts in the spiritual world is what happens inside us. So, on our lips our “yes” must always be a \”yes\” or and our “no” a \”no\” because whatever is more than these is from is the evil one (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12).

After doing what is necessary for our salvation the Creator gave us that form of doctrine recorded in His Word. All that the Bible contains are for our guidance and our success. If we ignore the doctrine of the Lord – or if we know it but fail to apply it in our life – we will be robbed of opportunities that we should never lose. 

One of the lessons derived from this verse of the book of Romans is that even after our conversion, if we were carried away by any misconduct and thereby suffered the marks of sin thus becoming handicapped for a normal and dignified life, the Lord\’s forgiveness has restored us completely!

In Christ with love, 

R. R. Soares