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Scripture Reading:
Romans 5:1-2 (The Message – MSG)
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1 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus.
2 And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
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Thought for the day:
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I’m reasonably sure that most people reading this will have become a little ‘comfortable’ with reading the same 2 verses each day. Even if there were slight differences in the translations used, it is quite common for us to ‘switch off’ and not really read the verses because we’ve gotten used to them. It is one of the issues we face as we read God’s word more and more. We skim the content because we’ve read it perhaps hundreds of times before.
In an effort to jolt everyone back into normal reading mode, I’ve used the Message for today’s verses. It isn’t a translation as such and much of what is written is based on the writer’s personal theology and his own thoughts. However, it is of value to give us pause for thought and to really determine what God’s Word is actually saying to us.
Over the past few days, I’ve written much about God’s grace and how we are the most privileged of people. God has spoken into our lives and we have responded positively to His invitation to accept Salvation. We have been justified by faith and have been restored to a right relationship with God. In verse 1, we read ‘We have it all together with God’. Since Oasis Community Church was formed in 2015, we have seen so many broken people come into a relationship with Jesus that they would never have dreamed of previously. None of us can claim to have ‘arrived’ in the fulness of God’s purpose and so reading something like ‘We have it all together’ is a little presumptuous. However, the Scripture is clear in that we are complete in Jesus and so the sentiment behind the verse is correct. Nothing should hinder us from moving closer to God. We should not allow any circumstance to prohibit us from reaching further and deeper into God. We have it all together with God.
How do we respond to such freedom? I love the way The Message shows us how to react in verse 2 – standing tall and shouting our praise.
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Prayer and Application:
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As we approach the weekend, may we all respond in the same way. Don’t be detracted by personality or shyness. God has done so much for us. Let’s stand tall in His presence, raise our voices and shout His praise.
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