Daily Devotional
God Rescues Us from Sin

March 11, 2024

Ponder This

Let me give you the best definition of sin I know: sin is coming short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Sin is everything in us that’s not like God. There’s a lot of it, isn’t there? We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Don’t stretch yourself out in the gutter alongside some clear hypocrite and say, “I’m better than he is.” So what? I hear people say, “Well I’m just as good as those people down there at the church.” I’m looking for a man who’s honest enough to say, “I’m just as bad as those people down there at the church.”

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That means me; that means you; that means us; and that means every mother’s child. God is in Heaven and man is on Earth, and between them is the great chasm of sin that separates. Repeatedly man has tried to reach God, but he can’t overcome the sin barrier on his own power or goodness.

If sin is our part, what has God done? God came down to Earth. He in glory stepped out of Heaven. God looked down at us and knew we could never overcome that barrier on our own. God loved us while we were sinners, and He made the permanent solution to the problem we could never take care of on our own.

• Why do you think we tend to compare ourselves to others? What is the danger in that?
• When have you tried to handle your sin in your own power? What happened?

Practice This

Pray for someone you know who needs the hope of the Gospel in his or her life.