Unrivalled: Christ the Ultimate InfluencerShembull

## Day 4: Reconciled to be Steadfast A stranger preaches to you and says you are wicked and evil. How would you react? You would probably be shocked, offended, and perhaps even feel maligned. Evil is a label put on the likes of terrorists, serial killers, war criminals, or cannibals. You may think, “How can someone who barely knows me pass such a scathing judgement on me!” In today’s passage, Paul directly pointed out that we were separated from God because of our evil behavior (v21). Paul himself, who tried so hard to be the most Jewish of Jews, the Pharisee of Pharisees, labelled himself the “worst of sinners.” He understood that no matter how hard we try, we cannot draw close to God because of our sins. Our inclination to sin results in our evil thoughts and deeds, and we are at war against God. If the hope of the gospel to us is to live a good life or gain a ticket to heaven, then we have missed out on the gospel. Instead, it is this – that even the worst of sinners can experience forgiveness, reconciliation, holiness, and be sanctified through Christ. God, in His grace, made a way out for us so we would not need to suffer for our sins. He extended a peace treaty through the sacrifice of Jesus so that the war can end and we can be reunited with Him, with a condition - if we will hold on steadfastly to the hope of the gospel. Our new status as people of God cannot be taken for granted. While Christ has paid for all our sins, it does not absolve us of our responsibilities of working out our salvation and continually responding to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It requires us to hold on to that hope, persist in it and remain loyal to Christ, come what may. Reflect on how far you have come in your journey with the Lord. Have you persisted in walking the narrow path? Or have you unknowingly deviated from God’s ways and veered more toward the world's evil ways? Let us not take God’s grace in our lives for granted but allow the timeless message of the Gospel to motivate us to hold steadfastly to our faith in Him. ### Prayer Points * Let us take a moment to thank the Lord for the immense grace He has poured upon us. We used to be alienated from Him, but we are now reconciled with Him and relate with Him as His precious sons and daughters. * Pray for the Lord to enable us to persevere in our faith and stay true to God’s ways. We shall not be distracted by the world's cares, and we shall never take God’s grace for granted. Pray that the timeless message of the Gospel will continue to burn brightly in us until the very end.