June 22 – Romans 5:1-11

June 22 – Romans 5:1-11

Dear Father, we come before you in praise and with thanksgiving for You give us our ‘But God’ moments. You orchestrate our lives for Your glory. May we in our quiet time recognize You for who You are: our Lord God, the God of Israel.

First, do your own quiet time and 4R journaling.  When you are completed, come back here for the lesson.

Request God’s help

Read  Romans 5:1-11

Record a verse that stands out to you

Respond to God

But God shows His love for us

At the right time… God’s time is never wrong.  At the right time Christ died for us. At the right time, ‘but God’ showed us His love for us.  At the right time.

Before our salvation we were not just sinners but His enemy (verse 10). And yet, it was in that mess that He saved us.  Our ‘but God’ moment doesn’t come in our time, only God’s and often times it comes when we are at our filthiest and weakest moment.  And salvation came while we were at our very worst.

But God

For while we were still sinners He saved us.  But God showed His great love for us even in that awful, filthy, sinful moment.  Only until that moment can we rejoice in our sufferings, endure, have hopeful character, and not put on the clothing of shame.  For God’s Spirit was given and poured into us. This is the greatest ‘but God’ moment to have!!!  The one where He steps in and saves us from the pit of doom, death and despair.  The one in which He calls us child. Says, “Hello, child, I am your Abba, and this is how much I love you.”

When we are blessed with salvation, we have an eternal tie to God. And with that tie comes blessings: Peace (verse 1), grace (2), hope (2b-5a), love (5-8), safety from wrath (9-10), and love (11).  And what are we to do with these blessings?  While remembering that God loved us even when we were His enemy and thus still called us to Himself, we are to love our enemies as He loved us (Matthew 5:43-45).  Just as God did not differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sinners, He died for them all equally whether they would eventually reject Him or accept Him.  Not one soul was excluded from the ability of choice for that covering.  Love others, as God loved you, even in your yuckiest moment.

But God

Rejoice with them when they have their ‘but God’ moment of salvation!  Rejoice for reconciliation! Rejoice in God through Jesus the Messiah through whom we have salvation!

“More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Romans 5:11

(Further Reading: John 3; John 15:13-14)

Dear Lord, we praise You for You are God! We thank You, for You have called us to You when we were at our worst! We rejoice in salvation!

What’s next?

As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.

Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.

My Verse: Romans 5:8, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”