March 7
Date: Saturday, March 7
Read: Romans 5:1-11
Devotion: There is an adjective that describes every single one of us. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a believer full of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord for five seconds or fifty years. It doesn’t matter if you’ve done more wrong than right every day of your life. It doesn’t matter if you’ve given up every single material possession you had in this world to meet everyone else’s need around you. It doesn’t even matter if you came to church every Sunday, gave 10%, and took notes on every sermon. This one three-syllable word fits you more perfectly than any piece of clothing you own. The word that describes you perfectly is: “unworthy”.
News flash, that’s because it’s not about you. Oh, you can bring the faith. But it’s Jesus who was proven worthy of it by coming at just the right time and dying for each of us. Not just for the people who are easy to like. Not just for all of the people we would all be willing to die for because they are so easy to love. All of Us! His death restored our relationship with a perfect God. Wouldn’t it be great if that was all it accomplished? But demonstrating the full measure of our comprehensive unworthiness, we now find ourselves as friends of God, full of undeserved privilege, able to share in God’s glory.
And if that wasn’t enough, we can rejoice, filled with His Holy Spirit as we face troubles and problems of every kind in this fallen world. We know they develop endurance. Endurance develops strength of character. Character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment because His Holy Spirit fills our hearts with love for Him and others around us. He provides us with the assurance that we don’t have to be consumed by the cares of this world because they pale in comparison to an eternity with Him and all He has planned for us.
Reflect: Which cares of this world you’re currently struggling with are keeping you from resting in the confident hope of salvation?
Pray: Father God we thank You that You loved us so much that You sent your Son Jesus to live a perfect, sinless life, to die in our place, and restore us to You. Use every challenge we face in this fallen world to draw us closer to You. Fill us with faith, hope, and Your perfect love. We are so unworthy. But we are also so grateful. We look forward to the day we will see You face-to-face. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!