Day 17

January 27

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” Romans 6:23

It seems that we live surrounded by bad news every day. Global conflicts, economic instability, sickness, poverty, devastating accidents, loss of loved ones, families torn apart, and the list goes on and on. But the worst news of all was the eternal consequences of sin. All of us had sinned; therefore, we were separated from God and faced eternal death. As Romans 6:23 warns us, "For the wages of sin is death..." so much despair, so much pain. There was nothing in power to free us from such condemnation. We could not save ourselves! 

That's when we received the greatest of all news! "...BUT the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ came to pay the debt for our sins. He broke sin’s grip upon us and He gave us the gift of eternal life!  We have been saved! Our relationship with God was restored; now we have peace with God and enjoy the peace of God in the midst of a broken planet. 

We have freely received the Gospel, so we can now enjoy the blessing of a restored relationship with God and the gift of eternal life. May we be encouraged during these 21 days of fasting and prayer to pray for those who are still lost and hopeless. Pray that we, the believers, might raise up and freely give the good news of the Gospel to our friends, family, community, and to the ends of the world so that many would be saved! 

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for the gift of eternal life that we have freely received through the sacrifice of your beloved son Jesus Christ, at Calvary. He died,  was resurrected, and now He stands before you to intercede for us. Give us the courage and anointing of your Holy Spirit to give the wonderful news of the Gospel to the people with whom we work, study, and play. That they may also receive the joy and peace of your Salvation. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen!

Josh Bencomo

Pastor in El Paso, Texas