Grace, Again

Romans 5:6-8

It's easy to think about things we should be doing better this time of year. That's what New Year's resolutions are all about. On Wednesday, I suggested that you make commitments for how you're going to better honor God at work in 2012.

You're not going to follow-through on those commitments perfectly this year. I hope that you follow through more than the average resolution, but the fact is that you're not going to be perfect when it comes to living out your faith at work. You'll be fine until a coworker does something annoying, and you'll respond with unloving sarcasm. Or you might make it through that but there's that expense account, and it's almost expected that you pad the numbers a bit. Or that might not be an issue, but it's too tempting to join in the boss-bashing around the water cooler. We all know that there are times when we mess up.

That's why I like Romans 5. Paul says that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Beautiful!

Don't think of those commitments as a tight rope that you have to walk without falling. Make the commitments and don't use grace as an excuse to slack off. But know that Jesus gave everything for you so you wouldn't have to live in fear.