Thursday March 17, 2022

Today is Thursday, March 17 and this week we are exploring what the Bible says about the nature of humanity and our relationship with God.

As I step into this quiet space alone with my Creator, I pause and become still. I breathe slowly and deeply and focus my heart and mind on the presence of the God who loves me.

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord, I worship you in the serene stillness of the dawning day with praise and thanksgiving. Help me hear the message you have for me. Speak to me through the power of your Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

I seek the face of my heavenly Father with the words of Psalm 51.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Psalm 51:3-6

Pause and Pray

I seek to understand the nature of human beings and their relationship with God. The book of Romans explains the mysterious truth of what God has done for the world in Jesus. Romans 5 goes to the heart of the Christian faith. People are sinful. God is righteous. There is an uncrossable barrier. Jesus, through his suffering, death and resurrection, makes a way. A way for me. I cannot buy God’s love, earn God’s love, be really good and attain God’s love. God’s love just comes to me, like a gentle rain falling or dew condensing on the dawn ground. Love is mine. That is grace.

For if, by the trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:17-19

I am trapped in death alongside all of humanity. Sin and death have reigned resolute from the beginning because of the decisions of two people, Adam and Eve. I inherit their fallen nature and am marked by sin. The first man and woman’s initial trespass resulted in the condemnation of all people, including me. The disobedience of one earthly person made all persons sinners at birth. Yet through one man, Jesus Christ, God provides abundant grace and offers a gift of righteousness to reign in the world. The one holy, unselfish, sacrificial act of Jesus, offering himself on the cross resulted in life for all people, setting them right with God forever. Through the obedience of God’s Son and the shedding of his blood, many are made righteous.

Ask: Do I believe that my sins are forgiven because of the blood Jesus shed for me? Am I counted righteous because of what I have done or because of what Jesus has done for me?

Pause and Pray

Gracious and Holy Lord, thank you for Jesus. Your generous, abundant provision of grace and gift of righteousness is beyond my comprehension. All I can say is “yes, I believe” and thank you for justifying such a sorry sinner as me. Let me never forget and always celebrate the new life I have received through the sacrifice of Christ. I read the words from Romans again and listen for the message you have for me.

For if, by the trespass of the one man (Adam), death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:17-19

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I pay close attention to what God might be speaking to me today. This is good news for me and God wants me to hear and receive it. I consider how these words inform my current circumstances and the state of my soul – trespass, sin, disobedience, condemnation, and death. In contrast, I consider how these words inform my current circumstances and the state of my soul – gift, grace, righteousness, justification, and life. Perhaps I have not yet affirmed my belief in Jesus Christ. Perhaps I once accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, but God is encouraging me to renew my commitment and re-up. Maybe God wants to remind me of the grace that is extended to me regardless of my sin. I come to Jesus bearing the full weight of my trespasses and lay it upon the cross.

Pause and Pray

Come, Lord Jesus, reign in my heart and life. I invite you into my pitiful circumstances and abject failures. Please bring God’s undeserved gift of holiness with my name written on the gift tag. Thank you for your abundant provision of grace – I renew my commitment to you, reaffirm my confession of faith and say yes to being a baptized child of God. Hallelujah! Amen.

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22

Today I close my time of devotion with St. Patrick’s Prayer.

May the strength of God pilot us. May the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. May the host of God guard us against the snares of the evil ones, against temptations of the world. May Christ be with us! May Christ be before us! May Christ be in us, Christ be over all! May your salvation, Lord, always be ours, this day, O Lord, and evermore.

Amen.