Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness with God.

Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There is a lot of freedom in that short verse. We all fall short of God’s glory and sin, and there is a price for our sins. I know I have made a mess at times, heck most of the time, but Jesus paid the price for our sins.

Often, we can be our biggest critics, but the God of all creation did not come to condemn us and tear us down, so why should we do it to ourselves? One of my favorite authors is Bob Goff, and this quote of his has stuck with me for a while. “If you hear a voice over your shoulder talking about your biggest failure, and it isn’t calling you ‘beloved,’ it isn’t Jesus talking.” Live from the freedom and love that God has freely given you. He came to rescue us. He died a painful death. He rose from the dead three days later. He did that because of His great love for us. You more than likely have heard that many times; part of the beauty of the gospel is it is simple yet powerful. No matter how long we follow Jesus we never graduate from the gospel.

Jesus has already won, and we get a chance to live from His victory. Our sin does not define us, He does. We are His children. We don’t have to carry shame with us. His yoke is light. Be focused on what you can do in the present to be with Jesus, receive what He has for you, and serve Him. Do not listen to an endless soundtrack of your biggest mess-ups. Don’t get frozen in the past and in the sin that so easily trips you up. Don’t beat yourself up when God isn’t. No matter who you are or what you have done, you can’t do anything to be separated from God. You are never going to be able to sin more than God can love. Your story is not written in Sharpie. God is so creative and wants to work for your good. Receive what He has for you.

Prayer: Lord, thank You. Thank You for loving me enough to die for me, Jesus. There are parts of me, Jesus, that need healing and forgiveness. Thank You for forgiving me, Lord, and help me forgive myself for my sin. Father, You are a good Father. I love you. Amen.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• What do you need to ask God for forgiveness?
• Who do you need to ask for forgiveness?
• What do you need to forgive yourself for or what lie do you need to let go of so you can live the full life Jesus has for you?

Family Devos: Romans 8

By: Paige Russum

Head

Today, as we look at Romans 8, Paul continues to talk about God’s love for us. Do you know what it means to be adopted? That is when people become part of another family. And Paul tells us God adopted us into His family. Can you believe that? He loves us so much that He made us His family, and just like there is nothing you can do to make your parents stop loving you, God will never stop loving and caring for you either.

But that's not all! The Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer, helps us in so many ways. He gives us strength, comfort, and guidance. He helps us to understand God's Word and leads us on the right path. We are never alone because the Holy Spirit is always with us.

Heart

Let's take a moment to thank God for His incredible love and all that He has done for us! And always remember, God loves you more than you can ever imagine, and He has incredible plans for your life. Trust Him, follow Him, and experience the joy and peace that come from knowing Him.

Hands

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for adopting us into your family and for sending us the Holy Spirit. Help us to always remember that we are never alone and that nothing can separate us from your love. In Jesus' name, amen.