Will You Choose the Wages or the Gift

Daily Devotional – Monday, June 26, 2023
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

A worker deserves his wages. A gift is underserved. If you get an opportunity, would you choose the wages or the gift? Simple as this question may sound, it has eternal implications in the spiritual realm.

For the Wages of Sin is Death

To put the two terms into context, we need to understand the reward system for Roman soldiers in the first centuries A.D. The Roman army had progressed from being a voluntary venture, where soldiers paid of personal equipment and armour, to one where the general rewarded the foot soldiers for their work.

Pay was in the forms of foodstuff, salt and money. Soldiers deserved the wages they received. They had worked hard, fighting for the empire and the army. Their pay was commensurate to the services they had offered. The general was not doing his soldiers any favours by paying wages.

The Gift of God is Eternal Life

Members of the church in Rome, therefore, understood Apostle Paul’s imagery, when he wrote, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a), In essence, we deserve death because we have willingly worked for it by transgressing the law of God (1 John 3:4). Those who will die eternally will only have themselves to blame.

Thankfully, Paul’s statement does not end there. He presents a contrast to wages and death by stating, “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b). The antithesis of the wages and death is a gift and eternal life.

Making the Choice Between Wages and the Gift

Thank God, we are not left without an option. As opposed to working for wages, we can stretch our hands and receive a gift (eternal life) from Jesus. We do not have to work for it. We cannot earn it. It is underserved favour for those who believe in Jesus.

It is interesting that we can work to go to hell or surrender to Jesus and receive eternal life. Sin pays measly and disgraceful wages despite its promise of temporary pleasure. Salvation, through Jesus Christ, may appear an unattractive but it is our only hope of life beyond the current existence.

Will You Choose the Wages or the Gift?

Jesus presents to you the two options. Will you choose the wages or the gift? Do you want to struggle with sin and eventually die eternally, or you will swallow your pride, admit your sin, ask Jesus for forgiveness, and inherit eternal life? The choice is yours.

Prayer
Dear Jesus, today I choose the gift over the wages. I renounce my sinful ways for they only lead to death. I resolve, by Your grace, to cooperate with You for my salvation.

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