Romans 3:20 Therefore
no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather,
through the law we become conscious of sin.
We all struggle with sin. There is not
one of us who lives life perfectly, so in God’s eyes, we are unholy, imperfect,
and just not good. We can justify our sins and make excuses for our mistakes,
but that just compounds the difficulties in our lives and our relationship with
God.
Most of us just want to be happy and
hope that God understands when we fail Him. We want to be loved and tolerated,
accepted and embraced by God, without being challenged or changed. We want our
choices to be approved and our lives to be given an A+, but that’s a sinful
delusion and selfish way of dealing with life. We are not at the center of God’s
great universe; we are not God’s sole focus in the world. We are sinners who do
unholy, unworthy, and ungodly things. We are careless creatures who cast God
aside when He gets in the way of getting what we desire, and living the way
that we want.
Thankfully, God knows us better than we
actually understand ourselves, which is why He sent us His Son to die for our
sins, in order that all things could be redeemed, reconciled, and restored
perfectly to Him. Great sinners like ourselves need a Great Savior. Who else
but the Holy Son of God can forgive our sins and bring us back to God? In all
of the universe, there is Only One; in All of Creation, there is just One
Savior: Jesus Christ.
Questions for personal reflection
What is my most
repeated sin? How can Jesus forgive me, and empower me to overcome that persistent
sin?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive our foolish and
imperfect ways. Pardon our sinful and unholy words. Challenge our lives and
change us for the better. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment or ask a questions about today’s message, please send
him an email to traqair@aol.com.
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