Devotion 

All Have Sinned

Frances Taylor 

We might try to deny it, but we have all sinned. And as Paul says, we fall short of the glory of God. There is nothing we can do to earn eternal life in heaven. Even to think that it is in our power to do so, is considered presumption. Only someone divine can redeem us, and only someone who is human and has free will and can choose to do so. In other words, only Jesus who is both human and divine is able to do so. Our responsibility is to accept this gift with gratitude and humility. We show our gratitude by following Jesus and living lives based on love. We show our humility by recognizing that all we have is gift. We are expected to use our gifts for the good of others, to develop them to the best of our ability and to say thank you. No one deserves God's love or forgiveness more than another. No one deserves his or her giftedness more than another. In fact, Jesus tells us that we must care for the poor and the vulnerable. So if you or I have more than we are expected to give more. We need to remember that we will be judged by how well we take care of the least among us. One of the important things to remember is that there are sins of omission as well as commission. If we are to follow through with sharing our gifts, we need to be on the lookout for opportunities to do just that. We cannot turn a blind eye to the needs of others. As the psalm says, "The Lord hears the cry of the poor," and we need to as well.

Prayer 

Gracious and loving God, thank you for sending us your Son, Jesus, to do what we could never do, win for us the gift of eternal life with you. May we show our gratitude by the lives we live. Amen.