September 21

Romans 3

The world stands guilty before God, and can only be forgiven through Christ.

INSIGHT

There are several commonly held misconceptions about how God evaluates the deeds of men. One idea is that as long as we don't do anything "terrible," God will overlook our "little" sins. Another is that God weighs all our good works on one side of a scale and all our bad works on the other. If the good outweighs the bad, we're okay. A third incorrect notion is that God lines up all the people who have ever lived from the best to the worst and then divides them in half. If you make the cut, you're okay. The truth the Bible teaches is that God demands sinlessness. And since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, all people are condemned. There is only one way out: Receive Jesus as your personal Savior. Through Him, all your sins can be forgiven.

PRAYER

Offer your praise to the Lord for His grace and salvation:
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night . . .
To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
(Psalm 92:1-2, 15)

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
You have forgotten the exhortation
which speaks to you as to sons:
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives."
(Hebrews 12:5-6).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• A stronger desire to be like Christ
• Churches across the nation
• Your activities for the day

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
To Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ . . . to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. (Romans 16:25, 27)  

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