Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Romans 6:11-14 consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus does not make us perfect. Jesus does not keep us from committing sins. Jesus does not take away all pain and sorrow. Jesus represents grace; when we live with Christ we live with the grace of God spread over all of our doings (right or wrong). Jesus does not give us a license to sin, rather Jesus gives us a reason to avoid sin.

We are not to be mastered by sin. I have seen people mastered in two different ways. One is obvious; the individual who, for whatever reason, can not give up a vice that has mastery over his or her life. The other is the person so fearful of sin that they can not live the life God has given them.

Do not live in sin and do not live in fear of sin. Live your life, to the fullest, recognizing the grace of Jesus Christ in every moment of every day.

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold