Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

We've Got A Problem At this point we need to step away from the Garden of Eden so we can take a closer look at this thing we call sin. The word sin literally means to miss the mark. It speaks of the great gap that exists between God's perfection and our imperfection. Everything that does not meet His perfectly righteous standard is sin. Our thoughts, our motives, our words, our actions...it all falls short of Him, and as such, is sin. So, we're sinners...so what? The "so what" is this: Sin is something that must be punished. As much as God loves and cares for people, there's another side to His nature that demands justice, a side that holds people accountable for sin. Understand that God cannot just look the other way or sweep our sin under the rug. If He did, He wouldn't be God because His righteousness and justice would be compromised. Most of us acknowledge that know we are sinners and that our sin needs to be punished. But the punishment that is required is a little hard to swallow: The Bible says the only adequate punishment for sin is death. What?! Is it really that big of a deal? Although many of us are quite comfortable with sin, we need to see it from God's perspective. From His perfect vantage point, sin is so offensive, so destructive, so opposite of what's right-that it only has one fitting fate-death! And that, my friends, presents a problem: Every single one of us deserves to die because we're all sinners. Since the moment Adam sinned in the Garden up until this very day, every human being has been guilty of sin and has earned the punishment of God's judgment. Except One. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. (1 John 3:5 NKJV) Understand that God cannot just look the other way or sweep our sin under the rug. If He did, He wouldn't be God because His righteousness and justice would be compromised. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?