Let It Go

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Mike Whitmer, and I title today's devotional, Let It Go. Augustine's autobiographical Confessions describes his long and winding journey to Jesus. On one occasion, he was riding to the palace to give a flattering speech for the emperor. He was fretting over his deceptive applause lines when he noticed a drunken beggar joking and laughing. He realized the drunk already had whatever fleeting happiness Augustine's shifty career might bring, and with much less effort. So Augustine stopped striving for worldly success. But he was still enslaved by lust. He knew he couldn't turn to Jesus without turning from sin, and he still struggled with sexual immorality.

So he prayed, Grant me chastity, but not yet. Augustine stumbled along, torn between salvation and sin, until finally he had had enough. Inspired by others who had turned to Jesus, he opened a Bible to Romans 13, verses 13-14. Let us behave decently, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality, rather clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

That did it. God used those inspired words to break Augustine's chains of lust and brought him into the kingdom of the Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1, 13-14. Augustine became a bishop who remained tempted by fame and lust, but he now knew whom to see when he sinned. He turned to Jesus.

Have you? Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Romans chapter 13, verses 11-14. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over.

The day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Let us pray. Father, we give you our lives. Let nothing come between us and you. In Jesus name we pray, amen.