"All have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice,
because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand
unpunished-he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be
just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is
boasting? It is excluded." (Rom 3:23-27) NIV
Have you ever delved into the mysteries of God's
grace? There is no room for misinterpretation here. We have been justified
through and through by the merits of Jesus' blood. Salvation is bestowed on us
by His grace. It is all God's doing. The only part we play is to graciously
accept His gift.
The problem with us humans is that we like to have a
part to play. Many among us insist that we can't be saved unless we work hard at
becoming a better person, which can only be done once Jesus lives in our hearts.
We forget that: "Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded." (vs.27)
It's all about God's grace. We are the ones who
rebelled against Him. We are the ones who wandered away, planning on an
independent life far from Him. He is the One who initiated this costly
reconciliation. He is the One who paid the price for our rebellion, extending
His hand towards us with a reconciliatory embrace. It has nothing to do about
what we do. In fact, even though our actions tell us otherwise, all we do while
pretending to be godly is to err farther and farther from Him!
At the time this devotional was written, several weeks
had gone by since Nik Wallenda walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He
had begun his walk in New York, on the US side of the falls, and ended up in
Ontario, Canada. He was filmed by literally thousands of journalists, and was
broadcasted to the four corners of our planet.
As soon as Nik stepped onto Canadian soil, two things
happened: He was hugged by his biggest fans, his family; and he was greeted by
the Canadian border patrol, asking him to show his American passport!
Nik could have argued with these officials. He could
have said, "Come on! You know who I am! I am the one who walked across the Falls
on a tightrope. I literally brought hundreds of thousands of tourist to your
town. I deserve to be welcomed into Canada with open arms. I don't need to show
my passport!"
But Nik isn't that kind of a guy. He graciously handed
over his passport that he had carefully carried in his back pocket during his
stunning performance, and when the border patrol him asked the purpose of his
trip, his response was simple: "To inspire people."
No matter how grandiose they may be, our performances
do not ensure us free entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Just like Nik Wallenda,
we need a "passport". And our "passport" is called grace. It can only be
obtained by having complete faith in Jesus, the Christ. He is our guarantee, He
is our passport. He is the One who carried us over the chasm into eternity.
"Passport please!"
"I left it on earth."
"Too bad! Your real passport is in heaven. Access
denied. Next please."
Rob Chaffart
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