Verse of the Day 8/4

     

Romans 6:22-23 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  English Standard Version (ESV)

The read through the Bible plan that I'm following is currently going through Romans.  Recently I read in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Literally we miss the mark when we try to do things on our own.  We tend to mess things up "but God" sets things right.  In today's verses that little word "but" occurs twice.

The passage and the Bible in general tells us that we, in ourselves are slaves to sin.  But God offers to set us free.  The burden has been lifted, we have the opportunity to be set free and for the keys of the jail cell to be thrown away.  The wages of sin is death, but God offers life, salvation, and it starts here and now with "more of life on the way" (The Message).  What do we do with that offer, with that gift, with that great exchange?  Do we continue to struggle on our own to wallow in the mire?

In Ephesians Paul writes that we "were dead in our trespasses and sins", "but God (Ephesians 2:4) made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5).  He has raised us up (v.6) and brought us to Himself.

If you have received Him, if Christ has set you free, you can sing the old chorus from the heart:

Gone, Gone, Gone, Gone! Yes, my sins are gone. Now my soul is free, and in my heart's a song. Buried in the deepest sea, Yes, that's good enough for me. I shall live eternally, Praise God! My sins are gone!


If you haven't done so, why not make it today.  Stop missing the mark and be set free, receive and realize that "God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus."

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Romans 6:21-23The Message (MSG)

^20-21 As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.

^22-23 But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.