12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14
Think of sin like a landlord who used to own the building I lived in. Before Christ, I was under that landlord’s authority—he had the keys, set the rules, and I had to obey. But when I died with Christ and was raised to new life, I moved out. I don’t live there anymore. Grace bought me a new home, and now I live under a new owner—Jesus. The old landlord might still shout through the windows, try to send mail, or act like he’s in charge, but he’s not. I don’t owe him anything. I don’t have to let him in. I’m free to live by the new rules of grace, not the old demands of sin.
This passage today is that reminder: don’t let sin reign in my mortal body. Don’t hand the keys back. I’m not under law anymore—I’m under grace. That means I don’t fight sin in my own strength. I fight it by remembering who owns me now, and living like I belong to Him.
When I read Romans 6:12–14, I’m reminded that sin doesn’t have the right to boss me around anymore. It used to reign in my body, used to dictate my choices, used to feel inevitable. But now, because of grace, I don’t have to obey those old impulses. I can present myself to God—not just in theory, but in the actual moments where decisions are made. That means my eyes, my hands, my thoughts, my time—they’re not neutral. They’re either being offered to sin or offered to righteousness
APPLICATION
So today, when I feel that tug toward frustration, pride, laziness, or whatever form sin tries to take, I stop and remember: I’m not under law. I’m under grace. That’s not a license to sin—it’s power to resist it. I get to choose who I present myself to. And I want to choose well. Not just because it’s right, but because I’ve been bought with a price. Grace didn’t just save me—it empowers me to live differently. And that difference shows up in the small, daily choices that declare who I belong to.