Something for Nothing

Hello all! I hope you're enjoying this break (which is going WAY too fast for me....). Since the Small groups are studying Romans, I thought this devotional was appropriate (sorry, no html today!). I know that my group just discussed chpt 5 last week, so this is a nice recap :-). I apologize in advance for any errors...it's the most I've had to type in a while :P

Enjoy!
-AMR

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Something for Nothing
By: Reverend Dr. Wilbur Daniel

~~~>Read Romans 5:1-11

The notion of pulling oneself up by the boostraps is a recurrent theme in American culture. It assumes that individuals can, by hard work and sheer force of will, lift themselves out of undesireable lifestyles and depressed economic circumstances. Regardless of our comfort level with the "bootstraps theory," there is one area of life in which it can never apply--that is the spiritual realm.

Paul reminds us that while we were yet without the moral and spiritual strength to live in a right relationship with God, God dispatched Jesus to redeem our souls. Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, was One who knew no sin. He took our sins to the cross that we might find pardon and eternal salvation with God. Paul lumps all of humanity into that one category--all of us are sinners who can only rejoince that God freely gave us salvation, the gift of life in Jesus Christ.

We cannot earn salvation by good works or by hard work. We cannot lift ourselves into the kingdom of God by our bootstraps. We can only reach out and receive God's free gif. As we do we should say "thank you" by living lives that are totally submitted to God and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Additional Scripture Readings (same idea as above):
Romans 3:22-24
2 Corinthians 8:7
Galatians 2:21