Hi, Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Wednesday, July 13, My name is Grant and this is Start Up, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Today we look at an illustration from marriage.
Romans 7:1–6 (HCSB)
1 Since I am speaking to those who understand law, brothers, are you unaware that the law has authority over someone as long as he lives? 2 For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband. 3 So then, if she gives herself to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she gives herself to another man, she is not an adulteress. 4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the crucified body of the Messiah, so that you may belong to another—to Him who was raised from the dead—that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions operated through the law in every part of us and bore fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.
Without God’s saving power, sin has a claim on your life.  But if you die to sin, then that claim dies as well, and you don’t owe sin anything. Paul uses the illustration of marriage to make that point.
Let’s stretch out this analogy of marriage a little.  I know that we don’t have youth in our group who are married yet, but imagine how your heart could feel towards a spouse if you were married.  You would want to show every bit of love and commitment that you could, so your spouse would know your love and faithfulness every day.
Now take that heart desire and use it to think of your relationship with God.  Do you want for him to know your love and faithfulness every day?  Of course, you do.  Sin is being unfaithful towards God, sin is being selfish towards yourself and tears down that relationship.
So out of your love to God, consider yourself dead to sin.  You don’t want to have anything to do with it because you are in a loving and faithful relationship with God.  If you should sin, don’t celebrate your unfaithfulness and don’t hide it.  Come clean, confess your sins and you will find that even when you are unfaithful, God will be faithful to you and will forgive you.  But because you love God, don’t take advantage of his faithfulness, instead, make every day count in showing God your love and faithfulness to him.
Challenge
The challenge for this week is to come to Hawkwood Baptist Church’s Stampede Breakfast this Sunday Morning and invite a friend. Come hang out with us and enjoy free food and good music. Go to hawkwood.ca for more information.
Invitation
Our next youth event is on Thursday, July 21, we are having a BBQ and sports night here at the Church.  Grades 7-12 are invited, the cost is $3.
Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca.  We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.
https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/
https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth
https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/