Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 (NRSV)
Read Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 4What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? Verse 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. Verse 3For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Verse 4Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. Verse 5But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. Verse 13For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. Verse 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. Verse 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. Verse 16For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,
Verse 17as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") -in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Devotion
All our lives are shaped by how much we earn through our work. Where we live, who we know, how we shape and clothe our bodies—practically nothing is untouched by our wages. We work hard to win our due, so most of us are naturally protective of what's ours. The world judges us by how much we can gather for ourselves. But there are no wages in the kingdom of heaven. In faith, God sets us free of needing to earn our way; all are freely showered with unimaginable gifts of mercy. When we see our lives from God's perspective, we no longer have to worry about comparing ourselves to others. No one has to work to be worthy. God’s grace overturns all our economies.
Prayer
God of Abraham, set us free from all our anxieties and comparisons. Help us to see that, through Christ, all people are worthy of your abundant love. Amen.