MONDAY, February 28th
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
Passage: Genesis 2:15-17
You were there. In the Garden of Eden, I mean. How? You were in Adam. Your DNA comes from him, so not only biologically were you there, but spiritually you were there. Paul tells us that when Adam was put in the garden he carried with him the entire human race and when he sinned, everyone sinned with him and became guilty of his sin.
At the moment Adam did what God told him not to do, his nature was infected with sin and that nature, along with his guilt, has been passed down to everyone on earth who has ever been born. That includes you and it includes me. All of us sinned in Adam and so we are guilty of that original sin. At the same time, all of us have sinned on our own by choice, so we are plenty guilty of our own sins as well. This recognition that we are sinners is a key factor in appreciating what Jesus has done for us.
Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
TUESDAY, March 1st
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.” (Romans 5:13)
Passage: Genesis 6:1-3
There are many actions that most people would agree are wrong, but unless there is a law that can be applied to a particular action, a person can’t be found guilty if he does something many think is wrong. While the world at the time of Noah had become so corrupt that God decided to send a flood to wipe things clean and start all over with Noah, Paul would point out that those who died in the flood were not guilty of breaking the law. They were sinners because they were guilty of Adam’s sin and what they did simply flowed out of that.
Whether God had ever given the law or not, we would all still be sinners in need of a Savior. It is in our nature to sin. It is in God’s nature to save. The depravity of the world at the time of Noah is a stark testimony to the condition of the human heart without God. It also is a testimony of the love of God reaching out for 120 years to give people a chance to turn to Him. Aren’t you glad, the Lord reached out to you!
Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
WEDNESDAY, March 2nd
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Romans 5:15)
Passage: Isaiah53:4-12
Adam’s action had a powerful impact. It brought sin into the world and into the nature of man. It brought death into the world. It brought destruction on himself and everyone else. It brought separation from God. The consequence of what Adam did is seen in every act of self-centeredness and in every cruel action done by one person against another.
Jesus’s action had a more powerful impact. Like Adam, He was born without a sin nature, but unlike Adam, He never sinned and what He did for us goes far beyond the damage done by Adam. He not only paid the penalty for our sin, He also gives us His perfect life to allow us to stand before God the Father without any sin counted against us. That is amazing grace!
Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
THURSDAY, March 3rd
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)
In his famous poem, “Invictus”, William Henry concludes by writing, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” To which God would answer, “No you’re not.” No one is. Everyone is under the reign of either death through Adam, or under the reign of life through Jesus.
In Christ, everything is new for us. Everything we have is a gift to us. Whereas death reigned over us in the past, life reigns in the present. Jesus went far beyond simply restoring us to the position Adam had when he was first put in the garden. He took our sin which resulted in death and He gave us His perfection, which results in life. In Christ we have something and someone to live for. Go out today and be the presence of Jesus in your world.
Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
FRIDAY, March 4th
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
Passage: John 3:16-21
It’s a natural law that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, actions have consequences. Those consequences may be good or bad, but make no mistake, there are consequences. When Adam sinned, his action didn’t just affect him, it affected the entire human race that would follow. While you and I are plenty guilty of our own personal sins, the main reason we are sinners and the main reason we would have face condemnation is because Adam sinned and we were in Adam.
So Jesus left heaven, came to earth, and became a man. In the eyes of God, He became the second man – the second Adam. He came out of love for you. Through your belief in and acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior, His action of living a perfect life is transferred to you and the consequence is that God the Father considers that you lived the perfect life Jesus lived. That allows you to be declared right in His eyes and it means heaven is your home. Let your actions today be reflective of tht love. They will have consequences on others.
Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
SATURDAY, March 5th
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,” (Romans 5:20)
Passage: Joshua 24:14-27
The law of God which was given to Moses came thousands of years after the sin of Adam in the Garden. The law wasn’t given to make people sinners. It was given to show the extent of their sin and how truly impossible it was for anyone to become right with God on their own. Joshua recognized this when he challenged the children of Israel that they couldn’t serve God faithfully to which they emphatically replied, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey Him.” They failed.
That’s why Jesus came. Sin was already present, but it was increased when the law was given, because then mankind had all the standards of perfection right in front of them, but they still couldn’t live up to those standards. We needed grace to cover more than Adam lost. We needed grace to forgive, restore, and then cover our lives with righteousness forever. That’s the kind of grace we have in Jesus. That’s the grace that is bigger than all our sin. That’s the grace that makes a person fall on his knees in love and thankfulness to God. Prepare yourself today to fully worship God tomorrow.
Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate that is now available year round, not just during the Holidays! 
Vanilla cupcake Yankee Candle's aroma permeating my house in the evenings!
I found these darlings scroll eggs at Pier One and absolutely LOVE them! The even open and close so you could fill them with treats for an Easter basket! Pier One has some other really fun decor for Easter right now! Oh, how I love Spring! I took Zeus for a long 50 minute walk yesterday after work and I LOVE when the grass is turning green again and the trees are budding and neighbors have tulips and daffodils in their front flower beds! I love Spring! I love the weather getting warmer and I love the approach of Easter celebrations as our sanctuary choir is working on memorizing our Easter Music right now with our most amazing Minister of Music, Joel Salazar and his wonderful wife and friend Becky! These are 3 things I am specifically loving today. What are you loving this Thursday?
