DATE POSTED: Tuesday, September 9, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.
SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:19-23 (NLT) –.19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
DEVOTIONAL: Paul often followed Jesus’ teaching method by using everyday illustrations his audience could easily understand. Because slavery was deeply familiar in first-century Rome, Paul used it to explain a profound spiritual reality: our allegiance to, and the one to whom we commit to serve, determines our destiny.
Although Paul recognized the limitations of using human terms to describe heavenly truths, he was eager to become “all things to all men” to reach hearts with the Gospel. His imagery makes one reality crystal clear: if we expect different results in life, we must serve a different Master.
In verse 19, Paul contrasts who we were with who we are now in Christ. Imagine leaving one employer and going to work for another yet continuing to show up every morning at your old workplace! Why would you continue taking instructions from your old boss when you no longer work for him?
Jesus has freed us from the power of sin, yet there are times when we wander back to the old workplace and begin taking instructions from our old boss. Old habits call. Old attitudes return. Old desires try to regain our attention. And before we realize it, we may find ourselves behaving as though nothing has changed.
But everything has changed!
Paul reminds us that our old way of life produced things of which we are now ashamed, and ultimately that road leads to death. But serving God produces an entirely different result. As we surrender ourselves to Him, He leads us in righteousness and holiness, and the end result is eternal life.
What a difference our new Master makes!
Paul had already addressed the dangerous idea that God’s grace somehow gives Christians permission to keep on sinning. Absolutely not! Grace isn’t permission to return to our old master. Through Christ, we have been set free from sin so that we might now live for God.
That doesn’t mean Christians will never stumble or sin. But it does mean that sin is no longer our rightful master.
So perhaps the question for us today is not simply, “Am I doing something wrong?” Maybe the better question is, “Whose instructions am I following?”
When bitterness tells me how to respond, am I listening to the old boss?
When pride tells me that I must have my own way, am I reporting back to the old workplace?
When temptation calls me to something that doesn’t honor God, have I forgotten who my Master is?
On the other hand, when God prompts me to forgive, love, serve, obey, and pursue righteousness, am I willing to follow His instructions?
Child of God, we have changed employers! Let’s stop reporting for duty at the old workplace. Let’s surrender ourselves completely to the One who purchased our freedom and gave us new life.
Our old master paid wages, and those wages were death. But our new Master offers something we could never earn: the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Now that’s a benefit package that is out of this world!
TODAY’S CHALLENGE: As you examine your heart today, and every day, honestly consider your thoughts, attitudes, intentions, actions, and words.
Who has been influencing them?
Do they look like instructions coming from your old boss? Or is there growing evidence that you are listening to, respecting, and obeying your new Master?
Let’s remember whose we are, and let’s live like we belong to Him!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for setting me free from the power of sin through Jesus Christ. Forgive me for those times when I return to old habits, old attitudes, and old ways of thinking, as though my old master still has authority over me. Please help me remember that I belong to You. Guide my thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions so that my life reflects Your righteousness and brings glory to Your name. Thank You that eternal life is not something I could ever earn, but a precious gift You have given me through Jesus Christ my Lord. May I live today like someone who truly belongs to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray that one of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue, your walk with Jesus. For my earlier devotionals, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org, or if you choose, subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you invite God to work through you to bless them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!
