I have a very simple thought today and it comes from verse 11, As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” I pray that God reminds me daily to show His grace and mercy to everyone around me no matter who they are or what they have done. It is easy for me to pick out the big sins and feel they are different than any other form of disobedience. But God’s mercy and grace spans the spectrum of all sin. May I be reminded daily when I react to people’s imperfections around me. The truth is, my imperfections are more like planks when compared to their thorns.

Romans 5 is all about the story of redemption. From verses 1-11, Paul talks about how we are justified through Christ’s blood. In verses 5-8 Paul explains how unwilling most of us would be to die for a righteous man and how much less for an unrighteousness one. But Christ died for us, all of the unrighteous ones. No matter how good we think we are, we are simply not good enough and without Christ’s sacrifice we are unrighteous in the eyes of the only one that matters; God, our father, the creator. In verse 11 Paul concludes by saying the words we all need to hear, Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. In God’s eyes we are reconciled. We are now righteous in His sight and that is all that matters. The world may see the sin and imperfection in our lives, but God our father sees us clean and worthy of being called righteous through Christ’s blood. While I don’t feel worth at times, I praise God for His mercy and grace.

There is not much to quote from in today’s reading. What I took away from Paul today is that he felt very much like a man with no home. He did everything for the glory of God and for the love of the people he served. We have so many comforts in modern times. It almost gives me guilt to think of how easy it is for me as a believer. I think the hardest part is remembering my salvation came from the sacrifices of men like Paul in the early church. I should never take it for granted that men died and were tortured so that I may experience God’s mercy and grace. I pray that my life is worthy of their sacrifices.