Recognize and Repent

Continue in sin?  Once you KNOW something is sinful- a thing that if committed will separate you from God, and you knowingly separate yourself from God by continuing to sin, how can grace abound?

Truthfully I feel as if my entire existence is filled with sin. From the moment I wake up until the moment I fall asleep I recognize just how far from being sinless I am. Just in my thoughts alone I feel as if I'm constantly separating myself from God through my selfishness, my self serving ways.  Is it this point we NEED to attain to comprehend how fully we have to recognize that Christ and Christ alone saves us and nothing we do saves us?  Once that comprehension begins to dawn, we know still that we cannot simply resign ourselves to being sinful willfully.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

The WAR we are living in hasn't a single furlough, leave, discharge, there is really no going awol with this war because it's a spiritual war which will be waged until Christ returns. The only time we have a brief reprieve truly is when we enter death's temporary sleep and wait in that sleep for our Savior's return.

We KNOW we are sinners.

We KNOW we cannot seem to stop sinning.

We KNOW that we need to seek forgiveness when we sin- ALWAYS. There isn't a single sin that isn't in need of forgiveness.

If we need to live in a constant state of seeking forgiveness, knowing that we are constantly relying upon our Savior's grace, then that is what we do, yes?  But, we do NOT excuse or accept sin, we RECOGNIZE and REPENT.  The SPECIAL Treasure we have in heaven, the Treasure we are to store up there, where our thoughts and hearts must be, is CHRIST Himself, the Author of our forgiveness, our grace.

We need to take our minds OFF ourselves and put them on CHRIST, having HIS mind in us, to think of OTHERS, to think of GOD first- to think of THEM MORE than ourselves.  Focusing on ourselves leads to even more self absorption.  Recognize, repent, refocus, yes?  Ask ourselves in that refocusing whether we aare thinking on the things our Lord would have us think on, or thinking on things that just keep up the vicious cycle of self serving.

Php_4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

By His grace, His mercy, His power, through the Holy Spirit, all because our Savior died for us, may we live recognizing, repenting, refocusing, renewing… in CHRIST.

Amen.