Romans 5:12-21

Be Still: Lord, I give this day – and this moment – to you. Help me turn my attention from life’s distractions towards you and your presence. (Pause, close your eyes, and breathe.) Come, lead and guide me today. I invite you into the depths of my heart.

Read: Romans 5:12-21

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (v20-21)

Encounter: I once took a risk and parked my car on some grass, knowing it was going to rain. The next day, when I came to move it, it was stuck. The more I spun the wheels, the worse the situation became. The harder I worked the engine, the deeper into the mud I sank.

Sometimes life can feel like this. We all make poor choices from time to time – that’s part of being human. But sometimes those choices lead to a cycle we can’t seem to break. We get so caught up in the mess, so stuck in the mud, that it feels like all is lost and we’ll never get out. And often, the harder we try in our own strength, the worse it seems to get.

But God works differently. No matter how stuck we feel, no matter how lost we become, no matter how far we feel from him – grace reigns. Whatever the depth of your mistakes, your regrets, or your wandering heart – grace goes further. There is always enough grace to cover it all.

That doesn’t mean we deliberately continue down the wrong path, planning to rely on grace later – what some call “greasy grace”. But it does mean there is forgiveness, freedom, and power available to turn around now, today – and to be pulled out of the mess.

Apply: Where do you need to receive God’s grace today? Where do you need his helping hand to lift you from the mud and draw you into his loving arms? He’s waiting with outstretched, nail-pieced, hands.

Devote: Jesus, thank you that 'grace increased all the more'. Thank you that there is always enough. Come meet me today, come save me today, by the power of your grace. I turn towards you.