God of peace and patience, pour out Your Spirit on the needs of this dear reader. In Christ Jesus, amen.
Most every family has a list of Dos and Don'ts. Some are implied, others are very explicit. We were handed down what I suspect were perhaps Holiness church inspired rules: Don't play cards, no movies on Sundays, dancing is a sin, playing pool on Sundays was not allowed. It made for some slow paced Sundays! I remember enjoying reading the full color comics from the Sunday paper and if there were ads for toys, we'd play, "I call this! This is the toy I'm getting and you're not!" The rules existed for helping us grow and develop as mature and responsible adults having the proper respect for others and for ourselves. It was, as Paul says in verse 20 of Romans 3, to know "the knowledge of sin."
Today's passage from Romans is from chapter 3, verses 9-20:
9 What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, 10 as it is written: "There is no one who is righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one." 13 "Their throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of vipers is under their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery are in their paths, 17 and the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
God shared the Law to instruct us about sin. God's desire was for us to stay away from sin and seek righteousness. As Paul identified it, there is "power of sin" which does and can control us, to the point that Paul declares, "there is no one who is righteous, not even one." As harsh as that sounds, it is true. The only true righteous person was our Lord, Jesus Christ. You and I have many cracks and breaks in our pottery; only the Potter can make us right and blameless before Him. Our natural inclination is to disobey, wander off, and do that which we should not. I love the scene in that classic Christmas movie "Home Alone" where Kevin admits that he does misbehave and adds, "We all do!" How true, Kevin, how true.
Paul seeks to remind us of our failings before sharing the good news about our condition. We don't have to stay there, there is indeed, good news.
PRAYER: Loving God, I admit that I have not been righteous and have wandered from where You would have me be. I confess that I lack so much and stand in need of Your love and mercy, so guide me today to being the person that best reflects my commitment to You. I ask this in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
Prayers for Pam Pettijohn undergoing outpatient surgery on her knee. Continued prayers for Hill Cocke, Rita Tanburg, and La Verne Myrick, all at Valley Baptist Hospital; and for Barry Lenke, home awaiting first radiation treatment to battle cancer.
