Every day we live, we have a choice to do what is right or what is wrong. When we send our young children off to school, we tell them, “Now, sweetheart, you need to know that Mom and Dad won’t be there to make your decisions. You will find some kids at school who will encourage you to do what is right, and you’ll find others who will lead you to disobey and do what is wrong. Make the right choice. Select your friends carefully. Be smart.”. . .
Before Christ, we had no choice. Sin was our one and only route. All of life was marked by unrighteousness. But once we came to the cross and gave the Lord Jesus the right to rule our lives, we were granted a choice we never had before. Grace freed us from the requirement to serve sin, allowing us the opportunity to follow Christ’s directives voluntarily. So as long as we do this, we will not sin! But as soon as you or I compromise with His mastery over us, the old master stands ready to lure us into sin.
Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way: Wise Words for Busy People (Nashville: J. Countryman, 2001), 397. Copyright © 2001, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved.