Romans 3:9-18
Scripture: Romans 3:9-18 (ESV) “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’ ‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’ ‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.'”
Devotion: In a world that loves to draw lines of division – by race, nationality, or moral standing – Paul pulls the rug from under our feet. He points out a simple, yet often hard-to-swallow truth: when it comes to sin, we’re all in the same boat. No one is naturally better, purer, or closer to God. It’s like we’re all in a boat that’s supposed to reach the shore of righteousness, but we’ve lost the paddles. Our efforts to paddle with our hands only spin us in circles.
Each and every human being needs Jesus. We all need to recognise our need for a savoiur. Jesus steps into this messy, circular boat-spinning of humanity not with condemnation but with salvation. In a way he gives us the paddles we lost. Except instead of us paddling all the way to the shore of righteousness, he picks us up out of the boat and plonks us on the shore. Our righteousness is entirely his doing!
The beauty of this is that it levels the playing field. It removes the pedestals we put ourselves or others on. It brings us, in humility, to the foot of the cross where our journey towards true righteousness begins. There is no one righteous, not even one, not me, not you. Except Jesus, and through him, all who believe. Amazing!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for seeing us in our lost state and not turning away. Thank You for providing the way back to the Father when we had no means to return on our own. Help us to remember our shared need for You and to treat others with the grace You’ve shown us. Teach us to walk in humility, recognizing that any standing we have with God is because of You and not our own efforts. Amen.
Challenge for the day: Today, let’s focus on humility. When you’re tempted to judge others or elevate yourself, remember the level ground at the cross. Reach out to someone you might usually overlook or consider different from you, and show them kindness. It could be as simple as a conversation, a small act of help, or just a friendly smile. Remember, in Jesus’ eyes, we’re all equally in need of His grace.