ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE DAY

Do You Still Live in the Shadow of the Past?

Romans 7:1b
...that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

Let's say an intoxicated man is driving a car with his wife as the passenger -- he passes out and the car runs off the road and hits a tree. The wife is injured but the man is killed. Would a police officer ticket and arrest the dead man for driving under the influence of alcohol? Of course not, because the law has nothing to do with someone who is dead.
A woman has been victimized by an abusive father throughout her life. Tragically, and as a result of her physical and emotional injuries, she dies. Does the father continue to torment her in death? No, because torture can only be inflicted upon the living.
In our previous passage, Paul said: "I speak to those who know the law." Today he states something that might seem obvious to some: "the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives." This runs two ways for the Christian when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. First, our own sinful acts which previously bound us are now lifted -- put to death with Jesus Ð and we are forgiven and set free. The second is much more subtle -- it has to do with the acts of others who have injured us (whether physically or emotionally). Our death with Christ sets us free from their acts as well.
One might ask: "If that is true, then why do I continue to hurt? Why do I still feel so angry?" Answer: Because we haven't completely died with Jesus. We're still hanging on to the old injuries and we haven't allowed Jesus to fully heal us. Isaiah 53:4-5: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows... the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." When Jesus died on the cross our old self died with Him. We don't have to sin anymore, and even better yet, we don't have to let the sin of others continue to take such a heavy toll upon our lives. We have been given a new life in Christ -- we no longer need to live in the shadow of our past.

 

Does an event from your past still have a negative effect upon who you are in Christ today? What injury are you still holding onto? No Christian needs to be bound by the emotional shackles of a tormentor's crime. We have been set free. If Isaiah said: "...he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows," then why do we continue to hold onto ours? Isn't it time to let go and let Jesus heal us? Will you accept His peace?

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