You Are Not Condemned
Do you struggle with shame?
Verse of the Day
‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.’
Today’s Devotional
You are not condemned by God if you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is the section of Romans that immediately precedes this verse. In that passage, Paul basically describes the human condition of wanting to do what is right and yet still messing up. I don’t know about you, but it makes me feel really good that Paul struggles in the same way that I do. (Romans 7:14-25)
I know I am saved, and I want to honor God with every word, thought, and deed. But…I am human. I miss the mark. Just the other day, I was really rude to someone I love. The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. I had to apologize. I was frustrated with myself for being rude. That’s not who I want to be.
The devil would love for any mistake we make to send us into shame and condemnation. But that’s not who we are! It’s ok to feel bad when we mess up, as long as it leads us back to God and to corrective action. This is what Brene Brown says about shame:
“Based on my research and the research of other shame researchers, I believe that there is a profound difference between shame and guilt. I believe that guilt is adaptive and helpful – it’s holding something we’ve done or failed to do up against our values and feeling psychological discomfort.
I define shame as the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging – something we’ve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection.
I don’t believe shame is helpful or productive. In fact, I think shame is much more likely to be the source of destructive, hurtful behavior than the solution or cure. I think the fear of disconnection can make us dangerous.”
According to Paul, and in my experience, each of us is going to mess up along the way. But we are not condemned. Jesus defeated that shame and condemnation on the cross. You are free from condemnation because of Jesus.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How have you struggled with shame?
How do you handle yourself when you mess up?
How can you thank Jesus for your freedom from condemnation?
How can you extend this freedom to someone else today?