God took our punishment

Word’s to live by… Genesis 20:6

The entire twentieth chapter of Genesis is an interesting account of Abraham’s fear of losing his wife and life. The verse we want to highlight is verse 6 in which God reveals his perception of sin. Speaking to King Abimelech (concerning the fact that Abimelech didn’t violate Abraham’s wife), God said, “Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me!” Who is it that gives us the power to resist temptation? We must understand that God takes sin personally. (He died to take the punishment for all of it!) What will we do with this knowledge? God doesn’t want us to live in condemnation, shame or guilt. Instead, he desires that we receive the gift of eternal life, forgiveness and live in relationship with him. When we sin, and we will, it’s out of selfishness and ingratitude. We cannot live a life free from sin, but we can strive to totally fill our life with God. We can be so busy doing Kingdom work that it really cramps our style to take the time to sin. We can have as much of him as we desire. Notice God said to Abimelech, “for I also withheld thee from sinning against me.” God not only paid for our sin, but also empowered us with his spirit to keep us from it. It is our vibrant relationship with God that will keep us from sin. Without this, our efforts are futile.