Romans 7 | When I Want to Do Right, but Still Get It Wrong

On 2026-10-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, October 10, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 7:18-25 (NLT) – ¹⁸And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong^. ²²I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

DEVOTIONAL: We could spend all day discussing the lives of Bible characters and the lessons God teaches through them. God’s Word never returns void. But there is also great power in sharing our own testimony of what Jesus Christ has done, and continues to do, in our lives.

That is one reason Paul’s words in today’s Scripture are so powerful. He doesn’t simply tell us what others struggle with. He opens his heart and describes the battle within himself. He wants to do what is right, yet finds himself doing the very things God hates. Most honest Christians can identify with that struggle.

Deep inside of our personal lives, let’s try and appreciate the dilemma that Paul is presenting here.

Many of us were blessed to grow up in Christian homes where we learned right from wrong and saw faith lived out before us. Yet it didn’t take long to discover that not everyone lived by those standards. At school, in our neighborhoods, and later in the workplace, we encountered people who seemed to prosper and often became influential, but their choices often seemed very inconsistent with God’s Word.

But Paul takes us deeper than the influences around us. The greatest battle is not merely around us. It is also within us.

Paul loved God’s law and desired to please God. Yet he honestly confessed that another power was at work within him. He knew what was right, wanted to do what was right, and still struggled with sin. Is it any wonder he cried out, “Oh, what a miserable person I am!”

Doesn’t that sound familiar?

No matter how long we have known Christ or how faithfully we serve Him, we are not immune to temptation. We have all said things we regret, made wrong choices, or entertained thoughts that did not honor the Lord.

But thank God Paul doesn’t leave us there.

His answer is immediate: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

That is our answer as well.

Our hope is not that we will someday become strong enough to conquer sin through our own determination. Our hope is Jesus Christ. When we fall, He restores us. When temptation comes, He is our strength. Jesus is not only the source of our salvation; He is the daily strength for our sanctification.

So when the battle becomes discouraging, don’t give up. Don’t allow Satan to convince you that your struggle means God is finished with you. Instead, join Paul in looking away from yourself and toward Jesus.

“Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

That was Paul’s answer, and dear friends, He is still our answer today.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Perhaps today you are disappointed in yourself because you have failed in an area where you genuinely wanted to honor God. Don’t remain buried beneath that disappointment. Take your failure to Jesus, confess it, and ask Him for the strength to walk differently today.

Thank God for the sacrifice of His Son, who came to save us from our sin and make the way for us to spend eternity with Him. As believers, may our desire continually be to live in obedience to His Word.

The struggle with sin is real, but praise God, Jesus Christ is greater! Let us keep our eyes fixed on Him.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for allowing us to see through Paul’s honesty that we are not alone in our struggles with sin. We confess that there are times when we know what is right, yet we fail to do it. There are times when our words, thoughts, attitudes, and actions fall far short of what You desire for Your children.

Lord, please forgive us. Help us never to become comfortable with sin, but neither let us become so discouraged by our failures that we forget the victory found in Jesus Christ.

Thank You for sending Your precious Son to bear our sin and provide the only way for us to be reconciled to You. When temptation comes, strengthen us. When we fall, draw us back to Yourself. When the world tries to entice us away from You, remind us that nothing it offers can compare with knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord.

May our hearts increasingly desire what pleases You, and may our lives reflect the One to whom we belong. We agree with Paul today: Thank God, the answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord!

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Next Steps & Resources

Taking a Step of Faith? If today’s devotional prompted a decision in your heart, visit the To Know Jesus page, speak with a local Bible-teaching pastor, or reach out to me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray you find help and encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Christ.
Explore & Subscribe: Browse past devotionals or sign up for daily email updates at NuggetsFromGodsWord.org.
Find Community: I warmly encourage you to join a local Bible-teaching church. Gathering with fellow believers is essential for growing in faith, finding encouragement, and serving others as God works through His church.

Romans 7 | The Battle Within: Understanding Our Daily Struggle with Sin

On 2026-10-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 7:14-17 – ¹⁴So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. ¹⁵I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

DEVOTIONAL: In several translations of the Bible, the Apostle Paul describes himself as “carnal” or “all too human.” Because of this, some readers might wonder if he is describing the life of an unbeliever. But this passage serves as a vital reminder for every believer: accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior does not mean our struggle with sinful desires instantly disappears.

As believers, the Holy Spirit lives within us. He guides us, directs us, warns us of sin, and convicts us when we disobey God. Although the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin, our sin still grieves the Holy Spirit and hinders the closeness of our fellowship with God. When we knowingly sin, it demonstrates not only our human weakness, but also our stubbornness in resisting the voice and direction of the Holy Spirit within us.

Perhaps this is why Paul’s words in verses 15–16 are so easy for many of us to understand: I know what is right. I want to do what is right. So why don’t I always do it? Why do I sometimes find myself doing the very thing I know is wrong?

What an honest description of the struggle that takes place within us!

Paul was not trying to excuse his sin or deny personal responsibility for it. Rather, he recognized the terrible power of sin that continued to wage war within him. There was a struggle between his desire to obey God and the sinful flesh that still wanted its own way. I believe every honest Christian knows something about that struggle.

The very fact that sin troubles us should cause us to examine what is happening in our hearts. We should never become comfortable with that which God calls sin. Instead, conviction should lead us back to God in confession and repentance.

My prayer is that we will grow stronger in our walk with Jesus each day. Through daily communion with Him, we become spiritually robust and deeply committed to His revealed Word. As we draw near to Him, our hearts become sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice, igniting a desire for a fuller, richer obedience—resulting in more of Jesus and less of self.

Jesus is the ultimate answer to our sin problem. Oh, that we would yield daily to His call of repentance, grace, and obedience!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: “Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.” (James 4:8)

As I share in our Nuggets From God’s Word Bible Study at Mariposa Apartments, keep these three spiritual pillars priority in your daily walk:

Daily in the Word — Feeding your heart on Scripture.
Daily in Conversation with God — Maintaining open, continuous prayer.
Regular Fellowship — Worshiping and gathering faithfully with other believers.

When these habits become priorities in your life, the pull and allure of worldly desires will naturally begin to fade. Draw Me Close To You, Heavenly Father!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit who convicts, guides, and comforts us. Forgive us for the times we have been stubborn and ignored Your gentle voice. Wash us clean and restore to us the joy of sweet fellowship with You. Strengthen our hearts each day through Your Word, through prayer, and through assembling with fellow believers. Teach us to yield to Your Spirit so that our lives reflect more of Jesus and less of our old sinful nature. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Next Steps & Resources

Taking a Step of Faith? If today’s devotional prompted a decision in your heart, visit the To Know Jesus page, speak with a local Bible-teaching pastor, or reach out to me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray you find help and encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Christ.
Explore & Subscribe: Browse past devotionals or sign up for daily email updates at NuggetsFromGodsWord.org.
Find Community: I warmly encourage you to join a local Bible-teaching church. Gathering with fellow believers is essential for growing in faith, finding encouragement, and serving others as God works through His church.

Romans 7 | When Sin Twists What God Intended for Good

On 2026-10-06 By Ed AlgreenIn God’s Word, All have sinned, God Cares For Us, Acknowledge God, Awesome God, Accept Jesus NOWLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, October 6, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 7:11-13 – ¹¹Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. ¹²But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. ¹³But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

DEVOTIONAL: Why is it often so challenging for us to leave sin behind? To stir your thoughts, consider a few subtle traps:

Sin falsely promises satisfaction – offering temporary pleasure that leaves us spiritually empty.
Sin falsely offers an adequate excuse – convincing us that our circumstances justify our actions.
Sin falsely promises an escape from consequences – whispering that no one will notice or care.

In Romans 7, Paul pulls back the curtain on this deception. He reminds us that sin is a master deceiver. It takes what God meant for good and attempts to turn it against us. Satan delights in convincing us that God wants to deprive us of the “good” things in life. But that is a lie. God’s law is “holy,” and His commandments are “holy and right and good.” The problem is not God’s Word—the problem is how sin twists what is good to lead us away from the Life-Giver.

Isn’t that still one of Satan’s great lies today?

From the beginning, Satan has tried to convince mankind that God is withholding something desirable from us. His deception suggests that obedience will deprive us of something good, while disobedience will provide the satisfaction we are seeking. Yet God’s Word shows us just the opposite. Sin promises life but ultimately produces death.

And still, our gracious God calls us back to Himself!

God does not give His commands because He wants to rob us of life’s pleasures. He gives them because He created us, loves us, and knows what is best for us. And when our sin separated us from Him, the Father demonstrated the depth of His love by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to provide the way for sinners like you and me to be reconciled to Him. What an awesome God!

Paul therefore makes it clear that we cannot blame God’s law for our sinful condition. Instead, God’s commands help expose the condition of our hearts. They cause us to look inward and recognize just how far we have wandered from God’s direction.

That’s not always easy, is it?

It’s much easier to blame someone else, our circumstances, our upbringing, the pressures we’re under, or even the devil. We’ve probably all heard someone jokingly say, “The devil made me do it!” But ultimately, each of us must come before God and acknowledge our own sin.

Perhaps this would be a good time to ask ourselves: What excuses am I using today?

What have I allowed to stand between me and wholehearted trust in Jesus Christ? Is there something I know God has spoken about in His Word, yet I continue trying to justify doing things my own way?

Remember, sin deceives. It makes wrong appear right, harmful things appear harmless, and temporary pleasure seem more important than eternal consequences. But God’s Word lovingly exposes the lie.

Perhaps there’s something you’ve been holding tightly today. A habit. An attitude. Pride. Unforgiveness. Self-reliance. A desire to control your own future. Whatever it might be, why not place it before the Lord?

The wonderful news is that we don’t come before an angry God who delights in condemning us. We come before the God who loved us enough to give His Son for us. He already knows where we have failed. He knows the condition of our hearts. Yet He lovingly calls us to turn from sin and come to Him.

Don’t wait until you’ve “cleaned yourself up.” Come to Him now. Surrender yourself completely to the One who knows you, loves you, and desires that you walk closely with Him.

Sin will deceive you, but God’s Word will reveal the truth. Sin will lead you away from God, but Jesus Christ calls you home.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Take a few quiet moments today and ask God to reveal anything you have allowed to come between you and wholehearted trust in Jesus Christ.

Are you making excuses for something God’s Word has already addressed? Have other priorities been given first place in your life? Are you still holding tightly to the reins, insisting on determining your own direction?

If so, release them.

Place the reins of your life squarely into the hands of Jesus. Don’t wait until you believe you’ve made yourself worthy of Him. Come just as you are, confess your need, and allow Him to begin changing what needs to be changed.

The safest place for your life is in the hands of the One who created you, loves you, died for you, and will never deceive you.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You that Your Word is holy, righteous, and good. Please forgive me for the times I have allowed sin to deceive me into believing that my way is better than Yours. Search my heart and reveal anything I have tried to excuse, justify, or hold back from You. Help me recognize sin for what it truly is and trust that Your commands are given from a heart of perfect love. Lord Jesus, I surrender the reins of my life to You. Guide my thoughts, my choices, and my steps so that my life may bring honor and glory to You. Thank You for loving me, forgiving me, and continually calling me back into fellowship with You. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Next Steps & Resources

Taking a Step of Faith? If today’s devotional prompted a decision in your heart, visit the To Know Jesus page, speak with a local Bible-teaching pastor, or reach out to me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray you find help and encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Christ.
Explore & Subscribe: Browse past devotionals or sign up for daily email updates at NuggetsFromGodsWord.org.
Find Community: I warmly encourage you to join a local Bible-teaching church. Gathering with fellow believers is essential for growing in faith, finding encouragement, and serving others as God works through His church.

Romans 7 | The Law Can Expose Sin, but Only Jesus Can Save

On 2026-10-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, October 3, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

DEVOTIONAL: Imagine driving down an open highway, feeling relaxed and moving at whatever speed feels comfortable. There seems to be no restriction—until suddenly, you pass a posted speed limit sign. In an instant, you realize you were speeding. The sign didn’t make you a speeder, but it clearly exposed that you were breaking the law.

That speed limit sign operates much like the Law of Moses that Paul describes in Romans 7. God’s Law acts as a moral spotlight. It opens our eyes to covetousness, pride, and the many subtle ways we fall short of His holy standards every day. Standing before the mirror of God’s Law, we quickly realize we cannot measure up on our own strength, leaving us burdened down and without hope in ourselves.

Praise God, that is not where the story ends! God knew our sinful condition, and in His great love He did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to save sinners. God’s law exposes our need; Jesus provides the answer to that need.

Sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy, righteous God, which means left on our own, we face eternal separation from Him.

Yet salvation requires a personal, deliberate decision. John 3:16 reminds us that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. Salvation isn’t inherited from godly parents, nor can anyone else make the choice for you. It requires a personal commitment to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, turn away from sin and place your trust entirely in Christ.

And please don’t make the mistake of waiting until you feel you’re good enough to approach God. If becoming good enough were possible, we wouldn’t need a Savior! We come to Christ precisely because we aren’t good enough. We confess our sin and trust the One who died and rose again to save us.

What a difference there is between having God’s law reveal our guilt and having Jesus forgive that guilt!

The law says,“Here is your sin.”

Jesus says,“Come to Me.”

Dear friends, there is no greater gift than salvation, no greater assurance than knowing that we belong to Christ, and no greater hope than knowing that eternal life is ours through Him.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: If nothing else has touched your heart in today’s devotional, I pray that it would be the fact that sin cannot enter heaven. The Law cannot save you; it only reveals your need for a Savior. Only Jesus saves. Salvation requires a personal step of faith—believing on the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse your heart and fit you for heaven.

I know Jesus as my Savior, and I have the blessed assurance that eternity with Him awaits me. Dear reader, my heart’s desire and prayer is that you will know Him personally and have that same assurance.

The law reveals our need for a Savior. Jesus is that Savior!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Word and for Your law that reveals the sin in my heart and shows me how desperately I need You. Thank You that You didn’t leave me condemned and without hope, but sent Your one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to do for me what I could never do for myself. Lord Jesus, thank You for bearing the penalty for my sin and offering me forgiveness and eternal life. For anyone reading this who has never placed their faith in You, I pray that today they would recognize their need, turn to You, believe in You, and receive the precious gift of salvation. And for those of us who already know You as Savior, may the realization of what You saved us from, cause us to love You more deeply and live each day in gratitude for Your amazing grace. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Next Steps & Resources

Taking a Step of Faith? If today’s devotional prompted a decision in your heart, visit the To Know Jesus page, speak with a local Bible-teaching pastor, or reach out to me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray you find help and encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Christ.
Explore & Subscribe: Browse past devotionals or sign up for daily email updates at NuggetsFromGodsWord.org.
Find Community: I warmly encourage you to join a local Bible-teaching church. Gathering with fellow believers is essential for growing in faith, finding encouragement, and serving others as God works through His church.

Romans 7 | Freed From the Law to Live for Christ

On 2026-10-01 By Ed AlgreenIn God’s Word, All have sinned, God Cares For Us, Acknowledge God, Awesome God, Accept Jesus NOWLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, October 1, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 7: 4-6 (NLT) – ⁴ So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. ⁵ When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. ⁶ But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

DEVOTIONAL: Back in chapter 6, Paul explained how believers in Jesus Christ are freed from the power of sin. Here in chapter 7, he goes a step further to explain how we are also freed from the burden of the law.

Before we rejoice over being free from obeying the laws of our land, let me quickly clarify! Paul is not giving Christians permission to ignore governmental laws, nor is he suggesting that God’s law is somehow bad. Rather, Paul is teaching that we cannot make ourselves right with God by keeping a set of laws or religious rules. Our salvation does not depend on how successful we are at checking all the right religious boxes. It depends entirely upon what Jesus Christ has done for us.

When you examine your daily spiritual life, what drives the things you feel obligated to do? If you are carrying heavy spiritual expectations that have no biblical foundation and bring no genuine fruit to the Kingdom of God, you may be bound to man-made traditions rather than walking in the freedom of Christ.

Now, this is certainly not an invitation to ignore instruction from your pastor or church elders. Rather, it is an encouraging call to anchor your faith directly in the truth of God’s Word. As Paul later reminds us in Romans 8, nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. If nothing can separate us from His love, then man-made religious pressures should never stand between us and the rich, unconditional grace God poured out when He gave His Son as our substitute.

Notice the beautiful contrast Paul sets up: verse 5 reminds us of our former lives under the law, where performance only exposed our sin and produced spiritual death. But verse 6 brings the ultimate good news—we are released from that captivity! We no longer serve God out of fear or rigid obligation, but out of a joyful, Spirit-led relationship with the resurrected Christ.

Even on days when life feels heavy and stressful, we can join the angels in heaven rejoicing over the glorious future God has prepared for us. All glory and praise belong to the only true and living God!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Take time today to evaluate your walk with God. Are you serving Him out of love and gratitude, or out of religious obligation? If you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ, know that He offers you freedom, rest, and a peace that surpasses all understanding. You don’t have to clean yourself up or fulfill a list of rules to come to Him. If you want to know more about beginning a real relationship with Jesus, please reach out to a local Bible-teaching pastor, a trusted Christian friend, or message me directly—we would love to introduce you to Him!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You that my salvation does not depend upon my ability to perfectly keep Your law, but upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. Thank You for sending Your Son to do for me what I could never do for myself. Please help me never to use Your grace as an excuse for careless living, but instead empower me through Your Holy Spirit to live a life that bears fruit for Your glory. And Lord, for the one reading this who has never trusted Jesus as Savior, please open their heart to understand and receive Your wonderful gift of salvation today. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray that one of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue, your walk with Jesus. For my earlier devotionals, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org, or if you choose, subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you invite God to work through you to bless them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

Romans 7 | Bound to Christ, Not Religion

On 2026-09-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 7:1-3 (NLT) – Now, dear brothers and sisters – you who are familiar with the law— don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

DEVOTIONAL: Having studied Paul’s teaching concerning sin, grace, and the law, we now find him helping those who were very familiar with the law of Moses understand an important truth. The law had served its God-given purpose, but it could never provide the salvation that sinful mankind desperately needed. Only Jesus Christ could do that.
Paul uses marriage to illustrate his point. A husband and wife are bound together in marriage as long as both are living. However, when one dies, the surviving spouse is released from that marriage covenant and is free to marry another. Death has changed the relationship.

In the verses immediately following today’s Scripture, Paul applies this illustration to the believer. Through our identification with the death of Christ, we have died to the law as the means by which we attempt to become right with God. We now belong to Christ. What an important distinction! We are not saved by how well we keep religious rules; we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross.

While it may be easy for us to look back at the Jews of Paul’s day and wonder why some found it so difficult to loosen their grip on the law, perhaps we should pause and examine our own hearts. Could we possibly be guilty of doing something similar today?

Do you find it easier to follow the rules and traditions of your church and its leaders, or are you committed first and foremost to following the teachings of God’s Word? Churches, pastors, teachers, and denominations can be tremendous instruments in God’s hands, but none should ever take the place that belongs to Christ alone.

Please don’t misunderstand me. God’s Word teaches us how His children should live. Grace is certainly not permission to disregard God’s commands or live however we please. Rather, obedience should flow from a heart that has already been changed by Christ, not from an effort to earn salvation or God’s favor.

You may have been saved in a church, but you were not saved by the church. You may have learned about Jesus from a preacher, teacher, or Christian friend, but none of them could save you. Only Jesus can do that.

Without the Word of God, a church risks becoming little more than a gathering of like-minded people. Without Christ, even our most sincere religious efforts cannot make us right with God. Paul wanted his readers to understand that their hope was no longer found in their ability to keep the law. Their hope was found in Christ alone.

Friend, could it be that you have become more attached to a denomination, a church tradition, or a list of religious expectations than you are to Jesus Himself? There is nothing wrong with godly traditions that agree with Scripture, but they should never become a substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or take precedence over the authority of His Word.

Therefore, please allow me to invite you to examine your heart today. Don’t place your hope in religion, church membership, good works, or your ability to follow the rules. Place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, because you belong to Him, allow His Word and His Spirit to guide the way you live.

Churches may point us to Christ, but only Christ can save us. God’s Word may reveal our sin, but only Jesus can make us right with God.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Ask yourself honestly: Am I following Jesus Christ, or am I simply following the religious practices with which I have become comfortable? Choose Christ above tradition, His Word above human opinion, and obedience that flows from love rather than an attempt to earn God’s favor.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Word and for revealing to me that I could never make myself right with You through good works or religious observance. Thank You for Jesus, who accomplished for me what I could never accomplish for myself. Please search my heart and reveal anything I have allowed to become more important than Christ or the truth of Your Word. Help me to appreciate the church and those You have placed in my life to teach and encourage me, while always remembering that my salvation and my hope are found in Jesus alone. May my obedience flow from a heart of love and gratitude for all You have done for me. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Romans 6 | Don’t Go Back to Your Old Boss!

On 2026-09-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, September 9, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:19-23 (NLT) –.¹⁹Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²²But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

DEVOTIONAL: Paul often followed Jesus’ teaching method by using everyday illustrations his audience could easily understand. Because slavery was deeply familiar in first-century Rome, Paul used it to explain a profound spiritual reality: our allegiance to, and the one to whom we commit to serve, determines our destiny.

Although Paul recognized the limitations of using human terms to describe heavenly truths, he was eager to become “all things to all men” to reach hearts with the Gospel. His imagery makes one reality crystal clear: if we expect different results in life, we must serve a different Master.

In verse 19, Paul contrasts who we were with who we are now in Christ. Imagine leaving one employer and going to work for another yet continuing to show up every morning at your old workplace! Why would you continue taking instructions from your old boss when you no longer work for him?

Jesus has freed us from the power of sin, yet there are times when we wander back to the old workplace and begin taking instructions from our old boss. Old habits call. Old attitudes return. Old desires try to regain our attention. And before we realize it, we may find ourselves behaving as though nothing has changed.

But everything has changed!

Paul reminds us that our old way of life produced things of which we are now ashamed, and ultimately that road leads to death. But serving God produces an entirely different result. As we surrender ourselves to Him, He leads us in righteousness and holiness, and the end result is eternal life.

What a difference our new Master makes!

Paul had already addressed the dangerous idea that God’s grace somehow gives Christians permission to keep on sinning. Absolutely not! Grace isn’t permission to return to our old master. Through Christ, we have been set free from sin so that we might now live for God.

That doesn’t mean Christians will never stumble or sin. But it does mean that sin is no longer our rightful master.

So perhaps the question for us today is not simply, “Am I doing something wrong?” Maybe the better question is, “Whose instructions am I following?”

When bitterness tells me how to respond, am I listening to the old boss?

When pride tells me that I must have my own way, am I reporting back to the old workplace?

When temptation calls me to something that doesn’t honor God, have I forgotten who my Master is?

On the other hand, when God prompts me to forgive, love, serve, obey, and pursue righteousness, am I willing to follow His instructions?

Child of God, we have changed employers! Let’s stop reporting for duty at the old workplace. Let’s surrender ourselves completely to the One who purchased our freedom and gave us new life.

Our old master paid wages, and those wages were death. But our new Master offers something we could never earn: the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Now that’s a benefit package that is out of this world!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: As you examine your heart today, and every day, honestly consider your thoughts, attitudes, intentions, actions, and words.

Who has been influencing them?

Do they look like instructions coming from your old boss? Or is there growing evidence that you are listening to, respecting, and obeying your new Master?

Let’s remember whose we are, and let’s live like we belong to Him!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for setting me free from the power of sin through Jesus Christ. Forgive me for those times when I return to old habits, old attitudes, and old ways of thinking, as though my old master still has authority over me. Please help me remember that I belong to You. Guide my thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions so that my life reflects Your righteousness and brings glory to Your name. Thank You that eternal life is not something I could ever earn, but a precious gift You have given me through Jesus Christ my Lord. May I live today like someone who truly belongs to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Romans 6 | You Become the Slave of Whatever You Choose to Obey

On 2026-09-24 By Ed AlgreenIn God’s Word, All have sinned, God Cares For Us, Acknowledge God, Awesome God, Accept Jesus NOWLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, September 24, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:15-18 (NLT) – ¹⁵Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! ¹⁶Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. ¹⁷Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. ¹⁸Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

DEVOTIONAL: What an eye-opening truth for us today! Paul gives us a sober reminder: you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey.

Throughout our lives, we naturally yield our devotion and attention to various influences. As children, we look to parents for guidance; as students, we yield to teachers to gain wisdom; in marriage, we gladly sacrifice self-interest to love and honor our spouse. We are constantly choosing where to place our allegiance.

In Romans 6, Paul takes this concept to the highest spiritual level. He exposes a profound truth about human nature: no one is truly independent. We are all serving a master.

Isn’t it amazing how subtly this world tries to gain our allegiance? We are constantly told what we need in order to be happy, successful, attractive, accepted, or fulfilled. Advertisements promise satisfaction. Worldly pleasures offer temporary enjoyment. Society encourages us to believe that having more, doing more, and experiencing more will somehow satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.

Without Christ, it is so easy to become enslaved to what this world offers without even realizing it.

But praise God, He offers us something infinitely better!

From the beginning, our Creator had a plan for His creation. In His mercy and grace, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we no longer have to remain enslaved to sin. Through Christ, we can be forgiven, made new, and set free to live in obedience to God.

Paul lays the choice before us plainly in verse 16. We can continue serving sin, which ultimately leads to death, or we can turn to God in faith and obedience, which leads to righteous living.

Christian friend, perhaps this passage should also cause us to examine ourselves. Although Christ has set us free from sin, are there things in this world that we are allowing to exercise too much control over us? Our habits? Our possessions? Our entertainment? Our ambitions? Our desire for the approval of others?

Freedom in Christ does not mean freedom to do whatever we please. It means we have been set free from the mastery of sin so that we may wholeheartedly belong to God.

And perhaps you are reading this today and have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior. God, in His great love and mercy, has made a way for you to be reconciled to Him through His Son.

So let me ask you the same question I must ask myself: Who, or what, am I choosing to obey?

And an even more important question: Am I at peace with the choice I have made?

As long as God has given us breath, today is an opportunity to turn our hearts toward Him.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Take a few quiet moments today and ask God to show you anything that has begun to exercise control over your heart and life.

If you know Christ, ask yourself: Is my daily obedience showing that Jesus is truly Lord of my life?

If you have never placed your faith in Him, please don’t assume that another opportunity is guaranteed. Consider the choice Paul places before us and turn to Jesus in faith. He alone can free us from the bondage of sin and give us new life.

The question isn’t whether we will serve something. The question is: Who will be our Master?

PRAYER: Father, thank You for loving us enough to provide a way out of our slavery to sin. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price we could never pay and to make it possible for us to be forgiven and made new.

Lord, please examine my heart today. Show me anything I have allowed to become more important than my obedience to You. Forgive me for the times I have listened to the voice of this world instead of listening to Yours.

Help me to remember that true freedom is not found in doing whatever I please, but in belonging completely to You. Give me the desire and strength to obey You wholeheartedly and to live in a way that reflects the change You have made in me.

And Father, I pray especially for the person reading this who has never trusted Jesus as Savior. Please soften their heart, help them understand Your love and grace, and draw them to Your Son.

May our lives declare that we belong to You.

In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Romans Chapter 6 – The 180° Turnaround: From Sin’s Master to Grace’s Freedom

On 2026-09-23 By Ed AlgreenIn God’s Word, All have sinned, God Cares For Us, Acknowledge God, Awesome God, Accept Jesus NOWLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:11-14 (NLT) –.¹¹So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. ¹²Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

DEVOTIONAL: Paul’s words in these verses remind us that following Jesus is not merely about improving our lives or adding religion to our schedules. Salvation is a life-changing encounter with the living Christ that leads us in an entirely new direction.

In Romans 6, The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, calls us to make a deliberate choice: to turn away from sin and the allure of this world, and to take an entirely new direction for our lives. We are no longer to offer ourselves as instruments of sin, but as instruments available for God’s purposes and glory.

The image of a 180-degree turn illustrates this truth well. When a person genuinely places their faith in Jesus Christ, they begin turning away from their old way of life and toward a new life of obedience to God. Following Christ and following the world lead in opposite directions. Trying to compromise by mixing the old life with the new only pollutes your walk of faith.

Paul describes this transformation as a death to the old life. The attitudes, desires, priorities, and practices that once controlled us are no longer to define who we are. Instead, we are called to embrace the new life that God has graciously provided through His Son.

Some may wonder whether such a dramatic change is even possible. Perhaps the sins of the past seem too great, the habits too deeply rooted, or the failures too overwhelming. Yet God’s Word assures us that His grace is greater than our greatest sin.

Romans 5:20 reminds us, “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”
1 John 1:9 declares, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
And in Ezekiel 36:26-27, God promises to give His people a new heart and place His Spirit within them so they may walk in obedience to Him.

I believe it is evident in this kind of life-changing decision that this is not something we can accomplish on our own. If we believe, and if we place our trust in Jesus, He will save us and He will guide us to a life of obedience to Him. That means that authority and power is in Him, not in anything we are capable of. Simply b e l I e v e dear friend and surrender your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: As you meditate on this message today, you may feel that you are “too far gone” – that your past is so broken a holy God would never accept you. Be assured of this: God does not leave us in the mud of our past; He reaches down in mercy to pull us out and set us on higher ground.

There are no degrees of sin in God’s sight. Your sin is no greater than anyone else’s, and the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all who believe. You do not need to figure out how God accomplishes this miracle before coming to Him. Simply place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He handles the cleansing, He transforms the heart, and He will present you faultless before the Father in Heaven one day!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing grace that is greater than all my sin. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to die in our place and to rise again so that we may have new life. We admit that in our own strength, we cannot overcome sin or clean up our past. Today, we surrender our minds, our words, and our actions to You. Use our lives as instruments of righteousness for Your glory. Where guilt or shame tries to tell us we are too far gone, remind us that Your grace abounds all the more. May our lives reflect the transforming power of Christ, and may others see Your work in us and be drawn to You. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Romans Chapter 6 – Grafted Into Christ

On 2026-09-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: ^day, September ^, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. Please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org to find and read all episodes shared over the years.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:5-10 (NLT) – ⁵Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. ⁶We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ⁸And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. ¹⁰When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

DEVOTIONAL: To be united with Christ in His death and resurrection is much like being grafted into a living tree. I was blessed to have a father-in-law who taught me the art of grafting in agriculture. You can take a healthy branch and lay it beside a tree, tie it to a limb, or even tape it securely in place, but nothing remarkable will happen. However, when that branch is properly grafted into the tree, it begins receiving nourishment, sap, and life from the tree itself because it has become united with it. The branch no longer relies on its own weak resources – it lives entirely off the strength of the root.

This illustration helps me better understand what Paul taught in Romans 6. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are united with Him. His death becomes our death. His victory becomes our victory. His resurrection becomes our resurrection. Just as that branch becomes one with the vine, we become one with the Savior.

Paul reminds us that our “old sinful selves were crucified with Christ” (v. 6). This does not mean that we suddenly become sinless, but it does mean that sin is no longer our master. Before salvation we lived according to our sinful nature and stood condemned before a holy God. Through Christ, however, the power of sin has been broken, and we have been set free to live for Him.

Just as Jesus died in obedience to His Father, we are called to leave behind our old way of life. The attitudes, habits, and desires that once controlled us are no longer to define us. We have been given a new identity in Christ.

Paul also points us to the resurrection. Because Christ was raised from the dead, those who belong to Him share in His life. This promise reaches beyond the grave into eternity, but it is also a present reality. We are alive to God today. We can walk in victory, experience His peace, follow His direction, and live for His glory.

Verse 11 brings Paul’s teaching home to our hearts: “So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” What an incredible truth! Because we are united with Christ, we no longer need to make excuses for sinful living. Instead, we can rejoice in the new life He has given us and trust Him to guide our steps toward righteousness.

Dear friend, if you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, I encourage you to surrender your life to Him today. Be grafted into the Savior through His wonderful grace. There is life in Him that you will find nowhere else.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Take a few moments today to slowly read Romans 6:5-11. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of your life where you may still be holding on to attitudes, habits, or desires that belong to your old nature.

Remember that through Christ, the power of sin has been broken. You do not have to live as you once did. Thank God for the new life He has given you and ask Him to help you walk each day in the victory that is yours through Jesus Christ.
PRAYER:Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your only Son to die in our place. Thank You that through faith in Jesus Christ we can be forgiven, made new, and united with Him in both His death and resurrection. Help us to consider ourselves dead to the power of sin and alive to You. Strengthen us through Your Holy Spirit to walk in obedience, trust Your direction, and reflect Your love in all we do. Remind us daily that our hope is secure because Christ lives. May our words, thoughts, and actions bring honor and glory to Your name. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.