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Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Romans 3:9-20 The Message

We’re All in the Same Sinking Boat

9-20 So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it:
There’s nobody living right, not even one,
    nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God.
They’ve all taken the wrong turn;
    they’ve all wandered down blind alleys.
No one’s living right;
    I can’t find a single one.
Their throats are gaping graves,
    their tongues slick as mudslides.
Every word they speak is tinged with poison.
    They open their mouths and pollute the air.
They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year,
    litter the land with heartbreak and ruin,
Don’t know the first thing about living with others.
    They never give God the time of day.
This makes it clear, doesn’t it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin.

For Reflection

In the Kingdom of God no one has preference over another; not Christian over Jew, not Christian over Christian, or for that matter, believer over unbeliever. All of God's Creation is advancing toward the full realization of God's vision. All of God's people are moving toward reconciliation, some at a far slower pace than others. We all have to resist the desire to be favored. Remember the Disciples asked who would have rank above the others. Jesus' remarks indicated that they missed the point.

Pray

Pray so that you will see in all others as the Christ that dwells within you enables you to see and having seen to understand. We are all in the same boat, traveling in the same direction.

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