23^rd -24^th May

Weekend Edition

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty of sins.”

Romans 3:23-24

This last week we have explored the life of Samson, one of the longest serving Judges of Israel. We have looked at his mistakes and investigated his weaknesses. However before we pronounce judgement on him, we must also take into account that he was remembered and honoured for his faith in the book of Hebrews.

We also looked at the life of Joseph and saw how it contrasted to Samson’s lifestyle and decision-making. It is clear that removing ourselves from situations that cause us to stumble and rejecting the enemies fiery arrows through faith and in the power of Christ, prevents us from falling into sin. Much like Joseph, we are to put our love for God before our need to satisfy our fleshly desires.

However, when we do stumble and fall, make wrong decisions, put ourselves in compromising situations, and show attitudes contrary to Christ-like living, He is still gracious and kind to forgive and declare us righteous. The great news is that because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who paid for our sins with His life, we are declared free and righteous. We do not deserve the grace of God, yet as the writer of Romans says, He freely paid the penalty of our sins. Today we must rejoice in the grace of God, rejoice in His forgiveness and rejoice in His love.