“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” — Romans 5:1

All that we do when we have been justified by faith through Jesus Christ should be the result of a grateful heart for what God did for us. They are all fruit or evidence of our righteousness, not deeds that make us righteous. Being made innocent of all wrongdoing should make you want to shout God’s goodness for all to hear. Having peace with God should make you want to spend as much time as possible with Him and desire to be more and more like Him. Having God’s grace should give you the confidence that you can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you. Having a pure heart should enable you to serve and give to advance His kingdom, not because you have to, but because you want to. Finally, being freed from the bondage of sin should make you want to be a slave to God since He is the one who set you free.

Imagine doing the most heinous crime and going to court, knowing full well that you will get a heavy fine and the death penalty. When you arrive, the judge calls you up to the bench and whispers in your ear that you are free to go. He declares you innocent. You ask how? He points to your defense attorney and says, “He turned his life in your stead. He paid the price for you and nothing else is demanded of you. You are justified.” The judge continues, “He did that when he realized that even if you turn your life in today, it could never completely clear you of all wrong doing. Your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren would have had to turn their lives in as well. That is how heavy the price was. The only way to completely clear your debt is that someone innocent must pay the price for you. Not only will it set you free, but all your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will be set free as well. All you and all your children, grandchildren and others born into your family must do is accept the gift.” How would you feel? What would that make you want to do?

For most of us, it would be hard because we do not think we deserve the gift. We have a hard time forgiving ourselves because it is hard to let go of our past mistakes. We want to do something to at least help pay for what we did. The judge reminds us that anything you do to make up for your sins will count against you, because you simply are not capable of saving yourself from your past mistakes and sins. You are free to go with no conditions. All you must do is accept it by faith. This is what Jesus did for you and me. He paid a debt for us that we could not pay and gave us a new life of freedom instead of bondage. Because of that freedom, we now choose to serve Him through our life and business because we are so grateful for what He did for us.

My prayer for you today is that you would accept that you have been justified by faith and that you would choose to serve the Lord as an act of gratitude.My prayer for you today is that you would accept that you have been justified by faith and that you would choose to serve the Lord as an act of gratitude.

Reflection: How grateful are you for the gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.Reflection: How grateful are you for the gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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