Avoiding the Practice of Transgression

 Living the Christian life is a challenge for all of us. The key is to go through the process of spiritual transformation or sanctification after we come to know the Lord. In that process of practicing the spiritual disciplines we become more and more like Jesus by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Part of the process is taking in the Word of God so that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. Then, we can avoid being conformed to this world, and we can do the will of God. I believe David realized a lot of this in the Old Testament way of trusting God and following Him before Jesus ever came to die for us and rise again for our sins. (Psalm 101:3) David had made the commitment to God that he would not let anything worthless guide him. He had come to hate the practice of transgression, the breaking of God's law. He was determined that it would not cling to him. I think this mindset would help all of us today, too.

We have so much information available for us today because of the Internet and all forms of media that we need to be very careful about what guides us. The Word of God must come first, so that we judge everything we hear by the standard and wisdom of God's Word. I know this takes extra time, but it is worth it in the long run. Then, we need to love the Lord completely, as Jesus commanded us, while at the same time hating the practice of evil. Both are necessary. No matter how much we love Jesus, if we do not hate the practice of transgression, we can't become more and more like Jesus. When we sin, we must confess it quickly and repent, so that we do not let evil cling to us. We must allow the Lord to wash it away, as we confess. (I John 1:9) If we will do these things consistently, we will experience the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, so that we can avoid the practice of transgression and do the will of God.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 102-104.