Sun.’s Devo - The Power of Repentance and Salvation

Read: Ezra 10:1-44; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 21:3 Ezra interceded for the sins of the people lying face down on the ground, weeping. Shecaniah told him that though they had sinned by marrying pagan wives, there was still hope for Israel. He asked Ezra to get up and tell them what they needed to do to make it right with God. *** Ezra had the people swear by an oath that the leaders of the priests and Levites would do what Shecaniah said and they all swore they would. A proclamation was made for everyone to come to Jerusalem. If they didn’t come they would forfeit their property and be expelled from their assembly. *** They came in three days and met on the first day of the 10th month. It was cold and raining as they sat in the square before the Temple. Ezra stood and told them their great sin of marrying pagan women and having children by them. He told them to confess their sin and repent. They were to separate themselves from their pagan wives and they would schedule their divorce. It took three months to go through the process for all of them since 112 of them had married pagan wives and some had children. *** In Corinth, Paul rebuked the people because they were not letting the church deal with legal matters but were going to worldly lawyers to settle their disputes. He explained to them that they had it backwards. One day the Church would judge the world and angels. This was a terrible example to the world to see. They should have people in the church wise enough to settle their disputes. *** They used the excuse that they had free will to sin and eat whatever they wanted, but Paul told them they must not become a slave to sin since Jesus died to set them free from sin. Grace is not a license to sin, it is the power not to sin. When they became Christians, their bodies were given to God and Christ now lives through their bodies. Christ would never sin, so we don’t need to either. Our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. We no longer own them but they are God’s. *** Lord, may we honor you with our bodies. May Christ be glorified through our lives.