August 23 (Romans 8:1)
There is therefore now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
I am a driven
person. Everything, all the time, and to
perfection…that’s how it is with me. As
a result, I do not take my failures very well.
Even something as simple as forgetting a trivial task leads to swift
self-condemnation. Perhaps you know the
feeling.
This is, of
course, pointless. Jesus Himself offers
no condemnation, none. He is there with
infinite love and grace to support us whenever we need. We should have been condemned for our sins,
but He took the punishment. Our debt has
been cleared. Our slate is clean.
Can you imagine
the freedom of living in the truth that you do not have to be perfect? How wonderful would it be to realize that
when your boss gets angry at you, when friends or family are disappointed in
you, even when you want to condemn yourself for some shortcoming, Jesus does
none of those. He looks at you and says,
“You are forgiven, my friend. Let’s try
it again.”
Jesus, help me to lose control of my life. I want to live in the freedom that You offer me. I need help, though. It is so easy to grab the reins and try to direct everything myself. Today I accept the glorious gift of grace without condemnation in You. Amen.
Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins
