Words of Hope Daily Devotional
Son of Man
Read: Romans 5:12-21
The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
As I taught a group of Sunday school students about Jesus’s genealogy, one boy had an “Aha!” moment. “Was Jesus descended from Adam?” the ten-year-old asked, eyes wide with sudden understanding. “That makes so much sense!”
Paul thought it made sense too. In his letter to the Romans, Paul explains that “sin came into the world through one man,” Adam (Rom. 5:12). In the same way, grace also came through one man, Jesus. How “much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (v. 17)! Because Jesus was the Son of Man, he should have shared in the sin that became the birthright of every other descendant of Adam. Instead, because Jesus was human yet did not sin, he was able to open the door for all human beings who trust in him to receive the gift of righteousness. He “came . . . to give his life,” as he says in Mark 10:45, “as a ransom for many.”
Have you received the free gift of righteousness from the one who gave his life as a ransom for you? How are you trusting Jesus, today, to open the door for you into a whole new way of being human? As we receive the free gift of grace from the Son of Man, we can rejoice in our new humanity.
As you pray, ask God to give you the free gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
About the Author
Sarah Sanderson is the author of The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate. She lives with her husband and their four teenage children in Oregon.
I Am
Read: Exodus 3:1-14 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) What do you say when you are asked to introduce yourself? Your name? Your age? Your occupation? You might identify
Waiting
Read: Isaiah 40:21-31 They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (v. 31) Has anyone ever asked
Grateful for Smell
Read: Numbers 28:16-25 In the same way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. (v. 24) The phrase “a pleasing aroma” appears about 40 times in the
Grateful for Taste
Read: Psalm 34:1-14 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! (v. 8) Some of my most simple but treasured memories are tied to specific tastes and experiences. Like catch-of-the-day lobster on a trip to the Atlantic coast with
Grateful for Grace
Read: Ephesians 2:1-10 It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (v. 8 NIV) There are times when we experience a moment that renders us speechless. The
Grateful for Help
Read: Exodus 17:8-16 Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (v. 12) For years I found it