This is the bitterest of all, to know that suffering need not have been; that it has resulted from indiscretion and inconsistency; that it is the harvest of one's own sowing; that the vulture which feeds on the vitals is a nestling of one's own rearing. Ah me! This is pain! There is an inevitable Nemesis in life.
The laws of the heart and home, of the soul and human life, cannot be violated with impunity. Sin may be forgiven; the fire of penalty may be changed into the fire of trial: the love of God may seem nearer and dearer than ever and yet there is the awful pressure of pain; the trembling heart; the failing of eyes and pining of soul; the harp on the willows; the refusal of the lip to sing the Lord's song.
-F.B. Meyer in Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p. 246.
We find no harsher reminder in scripture of the effects of sin than Romans 6:23. Two things to think about…
1) We are owed death.
2) It is our own sin for which we will receive these hideous wages.
In contrast Paul reveals another reality, an additional factor. God has a gift for unworthy sinners. The gift is eternal life. We rejoice as we remember God’s amazing gift to us.
All must realize the fix they’re in. We have: a sin problem (Romans 3:23); our own sin (Ezekiel 18:20). Sin causes a separation (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Sin damns (Revelations 21:8). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)! Just think of the hopelessness if the passage ended there!
How do we get out this "fix" that we are all in? It takes God to get us out of the "fix!" It takes: a Savior (Luke 2:11) to save us from God's wrath (Romans 5:8-9); and it takes a deliverer (Romans 11:26; Ephesians 4:8).
The gift of God remains unclaimed by many. They haven’t realized the fix they’re in. Won't you please accept the gift of God today?
Scripture: Read Romans 6:23
Prayer:
Hear, Lord, the prayers we offer from contrite hearts. Have pity on us as we acknowledge our sins. Lead us back to the way of holiness. Protect us now and always from the wounds of sin. May we ever keep safe in all its fullness the gift your love once gave us and your mercy now restores. Amen
May God bless you,
Val
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