< Back

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:6-7

Read: Romans 6:1-18
Listen: Romans 6

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Elisha kills the oxen and burns his plow (1 Kings 19:21). He’s no longer Elisha, the farmer—he’s Elisha, the assistant of Elijah. There’s no going back. The oxen are dead, and the plow is a pile of ash. He doesn’t hedge by putting the animals in the barn and the plow in storage. He’s deliberately made it difficult to give up his new life and return to farming. It’s a done deal. He’s all in.

Jesus gives us a new identity when we follow him. We are no longer enslaved to sin but a child of God. We have to choose whether to live out of our old self, the slave to sin, or to embrace following Jesus. Choosing God’s way means refusing to live like a slave to sin. It’s going all in.

Spiritual drift occurs when we stop choosing God’s way. We fall back to old habits and patterns, searching for happiness and value in what we think we can do on our own. We need to cut ties with some things in our lives. We need to burn some plows. We may need to reject the belief that the next promotion is what really matters. We can leave behind trying to look perfect in every social media post. We can stop thinking we only matter when we get the first chair in band or good grades. Some of us need to cut off other things that threaten to drag us back to slavery.

TODAY: Write in your journal or mobile device: “In 2024, I’m going to leave ________ behind.” Identify one attitude or action you need to stop. Then, identify something you will do instead, such as praying, reaching out to a friend, or choosing to go for a walk. Ask God to give you the strength to follow him in that area of your life.

JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Read Luke 3. Highlight anything that refers to the Old Testament and how Jesus fulfills it. Pay special attention to the Old Testament quotation pointing to John the Baptist and what the genealogy does.

Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.