WELS: Today's Devotion - Off the Hook – October 13, 2016

View this email in your browser Off the Hook – October 13, 2016 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 1 John 3:4-6 Off the Hook Daily Devotion – October 13, 2016 Devotion based on 1 John 3:4-6 See series: Devotions In cities across the land, you may come across a billboard that looks like this: A face looks grimly down at those passing by. Displayed in huge numbers is a memorable phone number. In equally large letters you read, "DUI? We can get you off!" When I see these billboards, I have mixed emotions. On the one hand, we live in a land where the arrested have the presumption of innocence. On the other hand, drunk driving is a dreadful crime and the guilty need to be held accountable for their actions. If, by some technicality, the guilty one gets off the hook, it troubles me. "The guilty must pay!" Nevertheless, for everyone who eagerly says, "the guilty must pay!" there is this word of caution. "What if I am the guilty one?" The clear testimony of God is that I am the guilty one. Sin is lawlessness. When I sin, I have broken the law of God. When I have broken the law of God, I have sinned. I find no technicalities, no loopholes, and no way to get off the hook. I have broken the law of God. Do I now cry out, "the guilty must pay?" Instead, I cry out, "Lord have mercy on me a sinner"! I plead before the Judge of all, "Let me off the hook" and the Judge says, "My Son, Jesus, 'appeared so that he might take away your sins'". I am "off the hook". I am set free from the guilt and therefore, also the punishment of sin. Rather than throwing myself on the mercy of the court, I throw myself into the service of the Judge. I live a life of awe-filled gratitude because I, the law-breaker, am eternally "off the hook". Jesus took away my sin and endured the punishment I deserved. This is not a technicality. This is grace! Prayer: Lord, as a free person, give me the heart and will to serve you as you have so graciously served me. Amen. The devotions on Thursdays and Fridays in September, October, and November are based on the book of 1 John. Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Print PDF Share Tweet Devotions | Subscription Help   Copyright © 2016 Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or subscribed to one of our newsletters. Unsubscribe  - CHANGE EMAIL SETTINGS Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod N16W23377 Stone Ridge Drive Waukesha, WI 53188 Add us to your address book Note: Recipients of this forwarded e-mail will be able to access your subscription preferences.