CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DAILY DEVOTIONAL ON YOUTUBE
Romans 3:1-4
As the Apostle Paul has been preaching the wrath of God and the equality of the Gentiles with the Jews in Christ, it may seem as if Paul has been saying to the Jews that their history in being God’s chosen people was to no avail. But Paul takes a moment in Romans 3:1-4 to correct any thoughts of this as he purposely acknowledges the position of the purpose of the Jews as God’s chosen people in being His representative to the world. Paul uses the example of Psalm 51:4 in the words of David in his realizing that the punishment he received for his sin with Bathsheba was justified by God and that he deserved being punished for his sin. It is a sort-of, realization that being God’s chosen people is not being above the law, and in so are still in observance that God is truthful and just as the Jews, in being God’s chosen people, are still yet capable of sin and being punished for it.
This is a promise and example that all people are sinful and rightly deserving of God’s punishment for sin.
It is sometimes when we commit sin that we realize just how awesome and true God is as He makes our sins known to us. This is not because God enjoys punishing us for sin but because we must come to a realization of our sins before we can come to the foot of the cross and ask of His forgiveness for our sins. This is tough and no one enjoys the process of admitting that we are wrong and have sinned, but the healing process of forgiveness brings us back into a right standing with God through the forgiveness that is found only in Christ Jesus. This is the purpose of conviction – that we may see God’s desire for us to humble ourselves to Him and receive His gift to us in cleansing our hearts from the effects of sin and welcome us into the new life that we now live – in Christ!
Dear LORD,
It is great that the Apostle Paul uses King David as an example of humbling ourselves before You when we realize our sins. If King David was allowed in all his greatness and splendor of being King of Your chosen people to realize his sins and then to bring himself to You in a sincere humility and repentant heart to understand why he was being punished and yet to ask of Your forgiveness that he may once again be made right with You through Your forgiveness , then we too should be able to follow in his footsteps of bringing ourselves to the foot of the cross and confess our sins to You and sincerely ask of Your forgiveness of the sins in our lives. Please help us to understand that being convicted in our hearts for sin is a required step in the process that leads to the healing forgiveness that only in found in Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.