Today’s reading: Romans 1:16-25; Job 2:8
For in (the gospel) the righteousness of God
Romans 1:17
is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written,
“The righteous shall live by faith.”
“It’s not fair!” is a phrase I often said as a kid. It didn’t matter how silly or serious the offense. From equal amounts of chocolate chips on my and my siblings’ pancakes (a little silly, I’ll admit), to deciding who got to pick out the movie during family movie nights (still seems quite serious to me), I was obsessed with the idea of life being fair. And without fail, my complaints were always met with the same response from my mom, “The fair is in August”.
Beyond a funny mom response is a deeper life lesson that seems hard for every single person to swallow: Life isn’t fair.
In our reading today, Paul contrasts the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel, to the unrighteous ways of this earth. God has revealed to His people what is right and just, and yet every single one of us has chosen what is broken and sinful.
Yet, the Father did not say “It’s not fair” and throw up His hands in disgust. Instead He sent a Savior, Jesus Christ, to lead us to His truth.
Yes, this world is filled with what is unrighteous. But God in His goodness and mercy uses the gospel to continually call His people back to a life of faith.
Prayer:
Lord, too often I fall into the unrighteous ways of this world. Thank you for your unending grace, which calls me back to a righteous life of faith. Let me walk in that faith today.
Contributed by Hannah Hayden