But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

The women picked up their books and prepared to leave Bible study. “These Bible stories are not the same as the ones we learned in Sunday school,” one woman commented. “Adultery, bigamy, lying, human trafficking ... and that’s just Jacob’s family! It’s more dysfunctional than a soap opera. Why is this stuff in the Bible?”

Jacob was a con man; David committed adultery and murder; Peter denied Jesus — every one of these “heroes” was unfaithful. But God remained faithful to them and sent His Son to die in their place. God is the hero of every page of every story in His Book.

As we read about the Bible’s dysfunctional families, we recognize the sin in ourselves and our own dysfunctional families. We confess our sins of jealousy, anger, selfishness, and unfaithfulness and receive the forgiveness of our faithful God.

Eileen Ritter
Byron Center, MI

Dear Lord, forgive my sins for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Reflect: Encourage someone with the Good News that our faithful God loves and forgives sinners.

Read: Psalm 51 and Romans 5:6-11