“Make this year a daily offering of thanksgiving for you being set free!”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 1, 2025
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14
You know the retail strategy. You are in the back of a department store to purchase one item. Like a treasure hunt, you discover your prized possession, and as you gaze around with glee, an underused cash register is available to process your payment. It is a delightful option to avoid the crowded checkout lines at the front of the store. To avoid being seen as an unintended shoplifter, you are sure to gather the receipt either in hand or securely placed in the bag with your purchase. If questioned by a friendly store employee on the way out, you have the evidence of your purchase paid in full. Gratefully, in the spiritual realm of life, Jesus has paid in full our sin debt.
Christ’s death on the cross means that your sin debt has been fully paid—a debt you could never repay on your own. Sin separates us from God, demanding divine justice. But in His love, Jesus willingly became the ultimate sacrifice, taking the penalty we deserved. When He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He proclaimed that the payment was complete. In his sermon It is Finished, Charles Spurgeon declares, “The debt was now to the last penny all discharged; the atonement and propitiation were made once for all, and forever, by the one offering made in Jesus’ body on the tree.” The cross is the culmination and completion of Christ’s sin payment.
What does it mean to be dead in our sins? To be dead in our sins means living in a state of spiritual separation from God. Sin enslaves and blinds us, leaving us incapable of knowing or pleasing Him on our own. Ephesians 2:1-2 teaches, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world.” This spiritual death affects every aspect of life, trapping us in selfishness and brokenness. But God, in His mercy, offers us new life through Christ. When we accept Jesus, we are made alive in Him, freed from sin’s power, and restored to our relationship with God. Perhaps for the very first time, you begin the new year by embracing His grace and walking in your new life today.
God makes you alive in Christ by transforming your heart and mind, filling you with His Spirit, and giving you a new purpose. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, you are no longer bound by sin but set free to live in His grace. Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds you, “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” He breathes life into your soul, giving you peace, hope, and joy. The Lord empowers you to walk in righteousness, grow in faith, and love others as He loves you. Each day, as you seek Him, He renews and strengthens you to reflect His light in the world.
The theologian Thomas Merton encourages embracing new beginnings through God’s grace: “No matter what has happened in your life… God says that you can begin again.” Your new year will be the happiest as you experience a fresh start available by faith through Jesus Christ’s payment in full of your sin debt. Make this year a daily offering of thanksgiving for you being set free!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for paying my sin debt on the cross. Your sacrifice gave me forgiveness and new life. Help me live in gratitude, reflecting Your love and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Application
Consider a fresh start in your faith walk with Jesus Christ. A simple plan is to read a Psalm, a Proverb, and a chapter in the Gospels daily.
Related Reading
Isaiah 53:5; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2
Worship Resource
Casting Crowns: The Power of the Cross
Donate
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