Romans 3:23-24
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Dear Heavenly Father,
This passage from Romans explains our dilemma; sin keeps us from you and your glory. We all miss the mark of loving you and others the way you have told us to love, which is to love perfectly. Jesus said, “be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Instead, we make ourselves the most important subject of our love. We look at those things you have given us, and we take the credit, “look at what I have done!” We also fail to serve others; “I have to take care of myself first.” Even the kindest, nicest people are still sinful and fall short of your glory.
But you did not stop there and say: “oh well, nothing I can do!” Our sins make us your enemy, so before we were even born, you sent your Son to restore us to you. Jesus came here to suffer the punishment we deserved for all our selfish, prideful, arrogant, and egotistical ways. Jesus demonstrated perfect love by putting you and others first in all that he did. Your salvational plan was Jesus dying on the cross to restore us. By willingly suffering and dying in our place, he drank the cup of suffering intended for us. The cross should have been our punishment, but he suffered for us, and his sacrifice bought us from our sin’s enslavement to our restoration. He has declared us not guilty by paying the price for our iniquities; this is a free gift to all who believe in him. So even though we have sinned, Jesus has restored us by his holy life and innocent death.
Lord, thank you for reminding us how you have restored the world through Jesus’ salvational work. We pray for opportunities to share this good news that brings eternal life and salvation to this fallen world. May we be allowed to make a difference in someone’s life by sharing with them how you loved them and sent your Son to restore them to you. Grant us opportunities to share the gospel today. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
We only bring sin to this picnic we call life. God has brought the justification—declaring us not guilty for Jesus’ sake. He has also redeemed us—bought us from the bondage of hell. So we can enjoy that heavenly banquet for the rest of eternity. It is ours through faith alone in Christ.