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!
