Reigning in Life

Romans 5:17 (NKJV)
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:17 reveals to what extent God has gone to provide us with a wonderful life. The life He wants for every believer is one in which each believer “reigns in life”. “Reign” means to exert dominion or authority. Believers are to live a life in which we exert dominion/take authority over the challenges of life. Unfortunately all too often it turns out to be the other way around for many believers.

Romans 5:17 give us five important phrases to consider in understanding how to reign in life.
• much more
• abundance of GRACE
• gift of righteousness
• through the One, Jesus Christ
• who receive

Reigning is life begins by realizing that sin has more than met its match. Sin gripped mankind for 2,000 years but at the Cross of Calvary, its power was wiped out by something “much more” powerful – GRACE, an abundance of GRACE. GRACE is like a double-barrel shotgun; it is God’s undeserved favor and His empowerment within us to do what pleases Him.

Reigning in life begins by realizing that God has imparted unto us the “gift of righteousness.” Righteousness means “right-standing with God.” One minister of the Gospel says righteous means that you can stand in the presence of God and look Him in the eye, free of all guilt and condemnation for all the wrong things you have done. When facing a life challenge – especially one of your own making – the gift of righteousness allows us to run to God not from Him.

Reigning in life begins when Jesus becomes the One who is at the center of every challenging situation or circumstance in your life. When going through a difficult time, check to see what the first thing is you think about upon awakening in the morning. Make Jesus the center of your difficulties and everything else will fade to the background.

Four of the five phrases in Romans 5:17 have nothing to do with the believer. To reign in life requires only one thing from a believer – the willingness to receive by faith what God has freely given. He has given every believer an abundance of GRACE and the gift of righteousness wrapped up in the Person of His Precious Son, Jesus. Reigning in Life is not about what you do; it’s about what Jesus has done for you. It always has been and always will be ALL about Jesus!

Romans 5:17 (The Message)
If death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing,
can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life,
in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift,
this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?

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