A slow leak

I had to take the car into the tire shop last week. For several months now, the drivers side rear tire has had a slow leak. Every couple of days, I was having to fill'er up  with hot air. Turns out I had a small screw stuck in the middle of the tread.

While I was sitting in the waiting area, staring down the soda pop vending machines, I had time to contemplate the previous day's bible study, Romans 6. 


Basically Paul is reminding us christians that we do not have an excuse to sin, simply because we have the grace of God. We are reminded that in baptism, we experience death and burial with Christ and rise again a new person. We become dead to sin and are now instruments of righteousness to God. We are taught, Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 


So clearly, these are life instructions. Pretty cool how that works. Hang on I have a point here, sin is like that stupid screw in my tire. When I have unrepentant sin in my life, it is allowing the air (my desire for a relationship with Christ) to slowly leak away. Without a personal relationship with my Savior, my life is not going anywhere, just like without air in my tire, my car is not going anywhere. 


You might be thinking at this point, "Judie, your like the nicest, sweetest person I know, there is no way you have a problem with sin." (or something like that) But the truth is I am human and I do struggle with sin, just like you. Gossip anyone? Half-truths, I tell em. I don't need to list all my transgressions here for them to be any less real.

Thankfully, I can take comfort in the knowledge that God's grace allows me to pray, repent and learn from my mistakes. Though we all struggle with sin, God does not condemn us when we are in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Just like the tire shop patched my tire, God has patched my sinful nature.