Post by Quia on May 19, 2014 16:14:55 GMT
Good afternoon guys!
Hope you all are doing well on this Monday morning. I hope you had a restful weekend. Now it's time to get back at it!
So here is what stood out to me today:
NKJV
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
MESSAGE
6-8 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!
I know we always talk about Christ dying for us and how grateful we are, but I know that it is something that I take for granted sometimes. I guess it seems that way because truthfully many of the things in the bible seem so far removed from me. It's hard for me to understand the sentiment and the passion behind some of the things that happened in the bible because it seems like it could never happen during this time, but while I was reading this, I thought about how I could make this real to me. I began thinking about my close relationships and wondering how it would feel for those I love most to lay down their lives for me. I would be so overwhelmed at the thought and extremely passionate about them choosing to do so. As I began thinking about that, I felt like instead of them dying, I would rather be the one so that I wouldn't have to suffer through my life without them. I'm sure that there is at least one person in your life who you would do the same for. The thought is very disconcerting and that's when I realized what it was like. To feel so passionately about someone that you would give the ultimate sacrifice. You would give your life so that that person could live. This is how we should operate when it comes to matters of the kingdom. The best thing about us choosing to do so now is that we don't have to give our life in the sense of dying physically...we can sacrificially die spiritually and give ourselves over to life in Christ. I don't know about ya'll, but that's a blessing to me. I mean, I know we constantly pretend like we'd rather be in heaven, but I'mma be real with ya'll. I like living on Earth. I like to enjoy the things that God has blessed me with. I like nice things and hanging out with my friends and traveling etc. I believe that there is a time and a season for everything and forgive me, but I think right now is my time to enjoy life on this side of zion! BUT, I get to enjoy being here and (because I've died to the natural part of me and let God reign in me spiritually) I will also be able to live eternally with Jesus and enjoy Heaven--WHEN IT'S MY TIME! I like these verses because they illustrate that even when we were NOTHING God died so that we could be SOMETHING! The best way to repay him is to give our life here on Earth to him so that we can both bring others into relationship with Him and receive a double reward by getting the best gift anyone can ever hope to have!
Hope you all are doing well on this Monday morning. I hope you had a restful weekend. Now it's time to get back at it!
So here is what stood out to me today:
NKJV
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
MESSAGE
6-8 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!
I know we always talk about Christ dying for us and how grateful we are, but I know that it is something that I take for granted sometimes. I guess it seems that way because truthfully many of the things in the bible seem so far removed from me. It's hard for me to understand the sentiment and the passion behind some of the things that happened in the bible because it seems like it could never happen during this time, but while I was reading this, I thought about how I could make this real to me. I began thinking about my close relationships and wondering how it would feel for those I love most to lay down their lives for me. I would be so overwhelmed at the thought and extremely passionate about them choosing to do so. As I began thinking about that, I felt like instead of them dying, I would rather be the one so that I wouldn't have to suffer through my life without them. I'm sure that there is at least one person in your life who you would do the same for. The thought is very disconcerting and that's when I realized what it was like. To feel so passionately about someone that you would give the ultimate sacrifice. You would give your life so that that person could live. This is how we should operate when it comes to matters of the kingdom. The best thing about us choosing to do so now is that we don't have to give our life in the sense of dying physically...we can sacrificially die spiritually and give ourselves over to life in Christ. I don't know about ya'll, but that's a blessing to me. I mean, I know we constantly pretend like we'd rather be in heaven, but I'mma be real with ya'll. I like living on Earth. I like to enjoy the things that God has blessed me with. I like nice things and hanging out with my friends and traveling etc. I believe that there is a time and a season for everything and forgive me, but I think right now is my time to enjoy life on this side of zion! BUT, I get to enjoy being here and (because I've died to the natural part of me and let God reign in me spiritually) I will also be able to live eternally with Jesus and enjoy Heaven--WHEN IT'S MY TIME! I like these verses because they illustrate that even when we were NOTHING God died so that we could be SOMETHING! The best way to repay him is to give our life here on Earth to him so that we can both bring others into relationship with Him and receive a double reward by getting the best gift anyone can ever hope to have!
