Read today’s texts first: 1 Kings 10,11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6
The selfless, unconditional love of Jesus dying in our place
distinguishes Him as the one, true God.
I am not ashamed to admit I was a nerd growing up (I may still be). I loved school, experienced trauma when I got less than an “A” grade, and then regained my self-esteem by serving as president of the junior high chess club. But the activity that sealed my nerd status as a teenager was joining a Bible quiz team. We were national champions two years running, for the gospel of John and Paul’s letter to the Romans. The competition for Romans was so fierce I had to memorize most of the book in order to jump up early, finish the question, and then answer it.
One of the chapters I can still quote by heart is today’s reading, Romans 6. The quoting of this powerful chapter on dying to sin and living for righteousness helped me through numerous times of temptation during my teen years. As if speaking these Spirit-inspired words was not enough to break sin’s power, just the recall required to remember 23 verses would help me forget what the temptation was in the first place.
Listen to these powerful words: Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?.... For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (6:16,23).
Solomon’s story, especially the end of his life, vividly illustrates the truth about the wages of sin. When he stayed loyal to the one true God, obeying His commands, Solomon was so blessed that dignitaries from other nations, who worshipped false gods, had to come and see for themselves. The Queen of Sheba was so impressed, she recognized God’s part in Solomon’s wisdom and prosperity (10:7-9). But ironically Solomon turned from his God, the source of all his blessings, to pursue the pointless worship of foreign gods (11:1-8). It reminded me of those who travel to India today, where cows are sacred and people are starving, to discover “true spirituality” (eg. Eat, Pray, Love). Solomon’s dalliance with false gods earned him some deadly wages, including new enemy uprisings and the division of Israel (11:9-40).
“Jesus, the wages for my sin should be my death, but You garnished my wages and took upon Yourself my death. That selfless act of unconditional love distinguishes You as the one, true God. Thank You for loving a nerd like me and for offering me Your free gift of eternal life!” (6:23).
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