The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of March 16
During the six weeks of Lent, we are offering a special devotional series on the theme of repentance. We invite you to set aside a few minutes each week to turn toward God, asking His forgiveness and offering Him your thanksgiving and praise.
The Scripture for today is from Romans 3:22-24.
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty of our sins.
It’s tempting to craft a hierarchy of sins, isn’t it? We deem some sins worse than others, deciding in our own minds who is sinning worse than we are. We tell ourselves “at least we aren’t as bad as that person.”
But these verses from Paul to the Romans lay the truth on the line, once and for all: no sin is worse than another; no sinner is worse than another. Brokenness is a level playing field because, as Paul reminds us, we all sin, and we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Every sin – no matter how big or small – separates us from God.
But the good news is that our God is a forgiving God – a God who showers us with compassion, kindness and love, no matter the depth of our flaws, no matter the extent of our mistakes. When we turn back toward Him, placing our faith in Him, He doesn’t punish us or make us pay for our mistakes. Instead, He opens His arms to us again and again.
Sin is an inevitable and unfortunate part of our fallen world. We cannot escape it, and we cannot free ourselves from it through our own efforts. But there is hope. When we place our faith in Christ, He will always make us right.
Gracious God, sometimes I am tempted to point out the sins of other people in order to deflect attention from or avoid my own sinfulness. Today I face my flaws and mistakes head on. I turn back to You, handing over not only my sins but my whole self, so that I may be made right by You. I am grateful for Your forgiveness and Your unwavering love. Amen.