My parents, like many young couples, couldn’t wait to run out and buy a dog shortly after being married. They were living in the Oklahoma City area at the time and bought a German Shepherd puppy from a police dog breeding operation. They named their new pride and joy “Gus”. It soon became apparent that [apartment living + working + large {and growing} active puppy] was not a winning combination and they successfully talked mom’s parents into welcoming Gus onto their farm.
My grandparents were egg producers, operating a laying operation of 4,000 or so laying hens. Gus, being an adventurous adolescent by now, found it quite sporting to kill chickens. Not a good idea to threaten country folks’ livelihood. Rather than “dispose” of Gus immediately, they decided to try and break his bad habit. They bound a dead chicken up in wire, secured it around young Gus’ neck and left it there until it rotted off. While he bore the brunt of the discomfort upon himself, I am sure that all in his presence suffered, to a degree, as well. Isn’t that the way it is with sin!?
Gus never killed another chicken. You and I should be so fortunate in our bouts with sin.
Romans 7:24 states, ‘Wretched man that I am! ... who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?”
Coffman, in his commentary of this verse writes, in part,
“Acceptance of the gospel of Christ, through obedient faith, cuts the chains that bind people to their former selves, enabling them to be born again.
After conversion, the sins that people commit do not remain upon them and bind them, as formerly, but are cleansed and forgiven continually during the Christian pilgrimage.”
I John 1:7 encourages us with the reminder that ~ “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
My grandparents were egg producers, operating a laying operation of 4,000 or so laying hens. Gus, being an adventurous adolescent by now, found it quite sporting to kill chickens. Not a good idea to threaten country folks’ livelihood. Rather than “dispose” of Gus immediately, they decided to try and break his bad habit. They bound a dead chicken up in wire, secured it around young Gus’ neck and left it there until it rotted off. While he bore the brunt of the discomfort upon himself, I am sure that all in his presence suffered, to a degree, as well. Isn’t that the way it is with sin!?
Gus never killed another chicken. You and I should be so fortunate in our bouts with sin.
Romans 7:24 states, ‘Wretched man that I am! ... who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?”
Coffman, in his commentary of this verse writes, in part,
“Acceptance of the gospel of Christ, through obedient faith, cuts the chains that bind people to their former selves, enabling them to be born again.
After conversion, the sins that people commit do not remain upon them and bind them, as formerly, but are cleansed and forgiven continually during the Christian pilgrimage.”
I John 1:7 encourages us with the reminder that ~ “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
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