Thursday Reading: Galatians 3:10-12
Key Verse: Galatians 3:11
11 But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, "The just shall live by faith."
Devotion:
If anyone tries to learn all the rules that God gave to Moses and then tries their uttermost to live by those rules they will very quickly find out that it is impossible for us to do exactly that. No matter how hard we try we will always fall short through one way or another and would then have to follow the rules on sacrificing something to God in order to pay for the things we did wrong. But that is where we then find that God had the perfect plan all along and that we no longer have need to make our own sacrifices before God because of what Christ has done for us.
If we do try to follow those laws and ignore Christ, then we are forever going to be guilty of breaking those laws and we will always be playing catch-up as we try to beg forgiveness for those sins that we do. What Christ did was to offer Himself up as that sacrifice before we did the sins that we do. He did this so that we would not have to try and find a perfect sacrifice and He did this for every single one of us. If we were able to live a perfect life as Adam and Eve did before their first sin, then we too would be able to commune with God. However, the moment we fall from those rules in thought or deed, we are guilty. Having Christ pay for that guilt before we commit it is something entirely special!
The one thing that will guarantee us forgiveness is faith. That means we have to believe that that is exactly what Christ has done for us and that He is willing and able to forgive us of those sins. Simple faith. Believe in what Christ has done for you and you will receive the gift that He has offered to you. There is no catch. There are no other conditions. The law is there to make us recognise the fact that we do fall very short of the mark and that we do need Christ and His forgiveness. That is why He made it all possible in the first place.
Points to Ponder:
Do you know someone who has already bought your Christmas present?
How else can Christ display His love for us?
