SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Romans 4:5-8 (ERV)

TEXT:  ⁵ …. people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him. Then he accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him. He is the one who makes even evil people right. ⁶ David said the same thing when he was talking about the blessing people have when God accepts them as good without looking at what they have done:

⁷ “It is a great blessing when people are forgiven for the wrongs they have done, when their sins are erased!
⁸ It is a great blessing when the Lord accepts people as if they are without sin!”

OBSERVATION:   Paul addressed the church as if they were looking down their noses at people who were not just like them, especially those known for their evil deeds, or who were not Jews. He reminded them that there is nothing good that can be done to excuse the sins of mankind, but there is ONE who can forgive them of their sin and make them right with God! I believe that we could probably do with Paul preaching that sermon in some of our churches today, because it is still very easy for us to think that we belong to an exclusive club and others are just too evil to ever make it in. Let’s look closer at this…

APPLICATION:   I believe that it’s Scripture like this that causes us to do a system-wide check-up! I really don’t believe in coincidences when it comes to God’s Holy Word. For if He took us to this Scripture, and He causes a Brother to share his heart on the matter, then God probably wants us to stop, listen, meditate, analyze our current situation personally and as a church, and act on what God is teaching or instructing us to do. You see, there are huge percentages of people in our own cities – family, neighbors, friends or acquaintances, that do not attend church. Did we look down our noses one too many times that they felt intimated by, or unwanted in, our cliques at church? Or perhaps unministered to because they are not the same color or race as us, or live their lives differently to what we consider acceptable? May I just remind those who know the Lord, about the clear facts of what our condition was before we met Jesus? I want you to reflect back to your condition before Christ, and compare that to the holy Son of God, not to those friends who are not attending church. Now, do you see any reason why God should have accepted you into His kingdom? Then why do we find it impossible to minister to those I referenced above from our communities? Friends, Jesus is coming again, and I believe that it will be soon. What will you say to Him when asked about the absence of your circle of family, friends, coworkers and loved ones?

PRAYER:   Lord Jesus, we are such a blessed people. When we think of the love You poured out for us, when You took into account all the sin of this world, and still You went to the cross anyway, so that we might have the opportunity of becoming right with the Father. Thank You, thank You Heavenly Father for sacrificing Your only Son to prove Your love for us. Please help us to show our love for You and our circle of influence, by sharing Your Word with them so that they also may come to know You in a very personal way. Oh that I may make Psalm 32:2 a daily part of my celebration: ‘It is a great blessing when the Lord accepts people as if they are without sin!’. Thank You Jesus! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!