For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
For it is rare for anyone to die for a righteous person, though somebody might be brave enough to die for a good person.
But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
Now that we have been justified by his blood, how much more will we be saved from wrath through him!
For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life!
Not only that, but we also continue to boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.
Romans 5:6-11
Remember I have talked about memorising portions of the Bible before. Well Romans 5:8 is a verse well worth remembering. This is another of those Navigator verses I learned early on in my Christian life. Get a hold of this one and suck it like a sweetie as Prof Brown would say. Let the truth of it penetrate deep inside you. If Christ / God loved you while you were still a sinner, how much more does He love you now? Still a sinner, but saved by Grace.
Yes, at times we come across someone who is willing / brave enough to die for someone else. But normally for a worthy person.
I know a man who died for a stranger, gave his life for someone the world would say didn’t deserve it. His name is Austin Hemmings. [No I didn’t say his name was Austin Hemmings; I said his name is Austin Hemmings.) Yes I know he has left this world but I have HOPE, the assurance that I will meet him again. His name is still Austin Hemmings but when I meet him again he will have a new name (Rev 2:17).] Just type Austin’s name into a web search engine and you can read his story. What is amazing about his story is that his actions captured a nation’s attention – New Zealand. After all the news frenzy died down he was named New Zealander of the year posthumously because of the action he took and the principles he lived by. Let the significance of it all wash over you. Think about it. Austin is more alive than any of us. He has now started living the Life of the Age to Come. Â
Not many of us, or dare I say none of us, would dare to risk our lives for someone we considered unworthy. But that is what Jesus did for you and me. Then notice what Paul says after the amazing statement of Rom 5:8 [have you memorised it yet?]. How much more will we be saved from wrath through him! For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life! Not only that, but we also continue to boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation. Wow, How much more!
If God loved you enough to die for you while you were at the lowest point, no matter how far you have come on the faith journey or how small your steps on the faith journey, imagine how much he loves you now.
Why don’t you sit and do some right braining on it. Do you know what I mean by that? The left hemisphere of our brains is the one that thinks logically, analyses, interprets, comes to conclusions. The right side of our brains is the one that imagines, dreams, envisions, muses on something. Right brain on that for a while.
The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions.
Anon
Being happy doesn’t mean everything’s perfect; it just means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.
Anon