12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.

13 Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not!

16 Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?

17 But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed.

18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

— Romans 6:12-19

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

In Romans 6:13 Paul urges us to offer every part of ourselves to God as an instrument of righteousness. This isn’t just about resisting temptation. It’s about actively choosing to live in a way that reflects God‘s love, grace, and truth. when we surrender our lives to God we’re not losing freedom. We’re gaining a greater freedom to live in harmony with God‘s purpose, to be the people he created us to be. But let’s be real! Living in this freedom isn’t always easy. We still face temptations and the world often pressures us to return to our old ways.

Paul knew the struggle well and he addresses it in Romans 7, describing the inner conflict that believers feel when they want to do what’s right, but find themselves falling short. This struggle is real, but it doesn’t change our identity in Christ. Even when we stumble, we are still God‘s children, redeemed, and empowered to rise again. All these reassure us that God‘s Spirit is with us, helping us to live in victory over sin.