Thankful for His Love
- Bishop Keith Butler
- May 9, 2023
- 2 min read
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)
As Christians, we often hear the phrase, "Jesus died for our sins." But have we ever stopped to truly think about what that means? Before we accepted Jesus, we were not good or righteous, or holy people. We were sinners who deserved nothing but punishment for our wrongdoing. Yet even in understanding our own issues and problems, God, in His infinite love, was willing to send His Son to die for us.
It's easy to become focused on our own righteousness or good works, thinking that somehow, we can do enough, pray hard enough, or give generously enough to deserve God's love and forgiveness. But the truth is, we did nothing and could do nothing good enough to deserve salvation. We are all in need of a Savior. It was only through the blood of Christ and His sacrifice in our stead that we can become innocent and saved from hell.
God sent His Son to die for us, even though we were undeserving and before we even knew Him. His love is greater than any you will ever encounter from any person and well beyond our comprehension.
Understanding, or at least accepting, that love should motivate us to love others when they do not deserve it, since we know Christ loved us when we deserved nothing.
We may stumble a few times and fall as we strive to live a life of faith, but we can take comfort because Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
His love for us is not conditional on our performance or behavior. It is based solely on the fact that we are His children, and He wants to have a relationship with us.
Practical Application
Spend time today dwelling on the love of Christ and filling your heart with gratitude. Thank the Lord for His great love and be willing to allow that gratitude to overflow through you and toward those around you.
