Stop Playing

We play around with God sometimes.

We take His grace for granted. We quote Romans 8:1 and remind ourselves, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” but we forget that no condemnation does not mean no correction. It does not mean no consequences. It does not mean sin no longer matters.

Romans 8:1 is not a permission slip to live any kind of way. It is a reminder that through Jesus Christ, we are no longer condemned by sin. But that same grace that saves us also calls us to surrender.

The truth is, we will all have to give an account before God.

“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Romans 14:12

That should make us pause and reflect.

Not panic. Not live in fear. But pause and reflect.

Because sometimes we get too comfortable. We get comfortable making excuses. Comfortable ignoring conviction. Comfortable doing what we want and then covering it with, “God knows my heart.”

And He does.

That is the part we should not forget.

God does know our hearts. He knows when we are struggling, and He also knows when we are playing. He knows when we are weak, and He knows when we are willingly disobedient. He knows when we are trying to grow, and He knows when we are using grace as an excuse to stay the same.

God is merciful, but He is also holy.

He loves us too much to leave us comfortable in sin. He corrects those He loves. He convicts us not to crush us, but to call us higher.

This is not about perfection. None of us are perfect. We all fall short. But there is a difference between falling short and choosing to stay there. There is a difference between struggling with sin and being comfortable with sin.

At some point, we have to stop playing.

Stop playing with conviction.
Stop playing with compromise.
Stop playing with the things God has been telling us to surrender.
Stop playing with grace like it is something cheap.

Jesus paid too high of a price for us to treat sin casually.

The goal is not to live condemned. The goal is to live surrendered. The goal is not to walk around afraid that God is waiting to punish us. The goal is to walk in reverence, knowing that the God who saved us is worthy of our obedience.

Grace covers us, but it also changes us.

And if we truly belong to Christ, our lives should show evidence of that change.

We may never be sinless on this side of heaven, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can sin less.

We can grow.
We can mature.
We can repent.
We can surrender.

So this is the loving warning:

Stop playing.

God is gracious, but He is not a game.