Day 55: Lawbreakers Find Grace
Read: Romans 11: 6-10
We are all sinners, and therefore we all sin. There’s no escape from that. Even our thoughts can sometimes be considered a sin. That’s something I struggle with often. Especially when it comes to being unnecessarily upset with my body. It happens, and I tend to forget that what I’m doing is so wrong because of how natural it has become. Then, these negative thoughts come out at my husband who does nothing but love me. It’s a bad cycle that I’ve been having to remind myself to break. With all these temptations comes a choice. Not just for me, but for all of us. Do we live our lives trying to choose well and follow God, or do we continue living for ourselves? Simply put, that’s what you do when you live in sin, you are choosing to live for yourself.
With everything we do, there are consequences. An example of that is breaking the law of whichever government you live in, you are subject to your actions. Even if it may not be immediate, justice will be served and you could go to jail. When it comes to faith, we are accountable to God. If we reject Christ, Hell is still going to be a reality, even if it’s not immediate. But through faith in Christ we are rescued from the threat of Hell.
A truth that Scripture has repeated so many times is: through grace, we have been saved. Not through works, nothing else. There is literally no other way to salvation but through Christ’s sacrifice for us. In Romans 11:6 it says, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
And what’s more, because of Christ’s love for us, we have an opportunity to be forgiven. Yes, we are sinners, and we may still experience the consequences of sin, but God redeems us. It says in Galatians 2:19-20, “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
“Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” I can only imagine being able to love someone that much. Not just in the moment, but so willingly no matter what day, what they say to you or do, always being willing to sacrifice yourself. Now, imagine not just doing that for someone who loves you back, but someone who is always against you. That’s what God did for us, and it’s a sacrifice we shouldn’t just push aside no matter how many times we hear about it.
It’s easy to forget the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice for us. But just think, instead of allowing us to descend to Hell, He made a way to set us free. He took on our punishment so that we wouldn’t have to suffer – even if that’s exactly what we deserve. Pray for strength to avoid temptations but remember to thank God daily for His sacrifice for us.