16th July 2024
Through Jesus Christ
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
The good weather made it possible to begin the tasks outside that had been put aside for so long, but first, the dogs wanted their morning walk; they were insistent on that. The grass got very tall in the freshly watered field, and the dogs became such a mess that I took them straight to the shower for a bath. Taking a brush to one of the dog collars, the dirt kept coming off in the water. There seemed to be no end to it. The more it was washed, the more dirt rose to the surface. It seemed such a hopeless situation.
Moving on to the next task of the morning was to re-stain the back deck, but first, it had to be washed clean and allowed to dry. Everything had to be removed before I could do this. I then had to hose the dirt off with water, but the more I did this, the more the dirt and debris came up from between the spaces of the boards. This too seemed an endless and hopeless task. The next morning it was covered with pine needles and pollen from the wind that night. So, I swept off the dirt again.
These things caused me to think of our own dirt, our sins. The more we recognise and confess our sins, the more we need to be washed clean. It seems as if I confess the same sins over and over again. The dirt keeps coming up and it seems like such an endless and hopeless task. I am reminded in Romans 7:25-8:2 that what is hopeless for me, is not for our Saviour. It is through Christ Jesus that I am saved and washed clean. Romans 8:10 tells us: ‘But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.’
It is through Christ that we receive freedom from sin (Romans 8:2). I make the effort to remove all the things that come between who I am and who I wish to be, but on my own, it seems such a hopeless task. I cannot do this on my own, I need the help of Jesus. Knowing that we are weak, knowing that we need help, God was not only willing to help us, but he came down to us personally to touch our lives with his own righteousness, mercy, and grace. What love God displays, what love he freely gives. He took on our sin, when he had no sin, to pour out abundantly his righteousness upon us (2 Corinthians 5:21). ‘“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”’ (1 Peter 2:24).
Prayer
Merciful God, it is by your love that we are saved. It is through your own intervention, that we are made free from the sin that entrapped us and became who we were. On our own we are a helpless mess without hope, but you came to wash us clean, and to turn us around. Oh, how we love you God, and we praise you, for you will never let us go, and you gave yourself willingly and so abundantly, that we are without the proper words and we stand in awe of you! In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Anne Gillam
About the writer:
Anne Gillam is a retired Pastor in Grace Communion International, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA.
Local congregation:
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