For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

The world is filled with sick and sinful souls. Sometimes those sinful souls are just a little bit silly, as they try to pull off their wrongdoings.

It's true. My files are overflowing with the silliness of sinners. Let me give you a few examples:

Here's one from Boston. Police in Boston were investigating the case of a stolen car. During the initial report the vehicle's owner shared that in his vehicle were two tickets for that night's Red Sox game. Thinking they had nothing to lose, the police went to the game and, sure enough, found the thieves, sitting in the man's seats. They had driven to the game in his stolen car.

Should I tell you about the bank robber -- the robber who was caught because he had written his hold-up note on the back of his birth certificate?

How about the disgruntled ex-employee of a computer company? Upset for being dismissed, he returned to his office to steal some equipment. That fellow was arrested because the paper he used to jam the door was part of a parking ticket he had received a few days before.

Maybe you would prefer to hear about the fellow who was captured trying to break into a store. His method wasn't the most subtle. He threw a concrete block through the store's front window. The only problem was the window was made up of Plexiglas. The block bounced off the window, hit the man on the head and knocked him out.

Reading those stories a person might readily think that's ridiculous! How can anybody be that incredibly not smart? You know, compared to these folks I'm not such a bad sinner after all. True, I'm a sinner, but at least I'm an intelligent sinner: a sinner who doesn't do ridiculous things.

And that might be true; we may not do ridiculous things. Still, smart or silly, we all do damnable things.

The Lord says the wages of sin is death, and those wages will remain constant unless something is done.

Thankfully, something has been done. So that we might be forgiven of every and all of our sins, our gracious Heavenly Father spoke to the world's first transgressors and told them He was going to send a Savior. After a few thousand years of waiting, He made good on that promise when a virgin named Mary gave birth to God's Son in the prophesied town of Bethlehem.

True man and true God, Jesus spent His life fulfilling God's commandments that we had broken, resisting Satan's temptations that had seduced us, and carrying the sins that had condemned us. Finally, on the cross, He completed all that had been asked of Him, all that we needed of Him, and He declared His work finished.

The success of all He had done was verified when, three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. In so doing He gave verification that all who believed on Him had forgiveness of all their sins.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks Your Son has freed me from every condemnation of the Law. Now may I live my life in thanksgiving for His great gift of life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 23-24    John 6:41-71

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