Training in Grace

Romans 6: 11-14 "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

I went on my first training ride of the year, and it was horrible! Not only did my legs feel like jello after a few miles on the bike, but my lungs felt like I have been inhaling fish hooks during the off-season. During that first training ride, everything in me was telling me to give up and that I don't have it in me to bike 96 miles on day one of the Tour. Battling sin is a lot like taking that first training ride of the year. Everything inside of you is telling you that you can't conquer that sin. The temptation is too great, the yearning for repeating the sin is too strong. You might as well just give in and stop the fight.

Thankfully, I have trained for several tours now, and I have come to learn that while the first training ride of the year is terrible, they quickly get easier. In a few weeks, the muscles in my legs will strengthen, and my lungs will become accustomed to longer and longer bike rides. By the end of June, I will be pushing towards the goal of a 100-mile training ride (a feat that I have yet to accomplish) and the goal will be in sight. Likewise, as Christians, we are to put to death our old ways of sin and refuse to obey its evil desires. We give ourselves over to God, put ourselves under God's grace, and flee from sin. As we win one battle against sin, the second one becomes easier, and the third even easier. Until, eventually, that sin that used to trip us up so often is no longer even a temptation for us. In and through Christ, WE WIN!

-Matt Robinson

Published 4/21/2021

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