You Must Master It

 What do you need to master in 2021 to make your life better? I know many of us have our minds turn to being in better physical shape as we start a New Year. That is important, but we can be in very good shape and be miserable. Others think of how to get a better job and make more money. That takes hard work and being knowledgeable about our profession. However, we can be a billionaire and not really have a satisfying life. The Lord told us just what we need to master in 2021 and always to have much joy. (Genesis 4:7) When Cain got angry with his brother, Abel, God told him that if he did well his countenance or his facial expression would be lifted up. However, He warned Cain that if he did not do well, sin was crouching at the door. The desire of sin was to harm him, but he needed to master sin, instead of it mastering him. That is the key for all of us.

I hope we all have noticed how much better our lives go when we do God's will. The joy it brings to our hearts shines forth from our face. People can see the peace and love we have then. However, sin brings stress. It brings guilt to our hearts. People can sense that tension when they look at us. There is no joy or peace. That is how sin gets a grip on us and robs us of our joy. We must never let this happen. We must master sin. How do we do that? We must surrender to the Lord, turning from our sins, putting our trust in Jesus as our Savior and asking Him to be Lord of all we do. Then, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, so that through His power we can always resist the pull of sin to do the wrong thing. (Galatians 5:16) Therefore, to master sin and have a great life in 2021, no matter what happens to us, we must walk in the Spirit every day with our focus on the Lord. Then, when we see sin, we have the power to do well and not to sin.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 5-8.