Romans 5:8 - Unfathomable Love.
Romans 5:8 (NLT) But God showed his great
love for us by sending Christ to die for us while
we were still sinners.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Christmas is the time when we celebrate
Jesus arrival on Earth. The angels announced to
the shepherds, The Savior - yes, the Messiah,
the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the
city of David! (Luke 2:11 NLT).
He is that and much more. Not only is
Jesus the Savior, not only is He the Lord, not
only is He God who came to dwell with us, but He
is also a friend. Hes the best friend
humanity ever had. And He is the best friend that you
ever will have.
Its amazing to think that the almighty
God would offer us His friendship. Its
amazing that He effectively says, I dont want
to be a casual acquaintance or someone you
check in with periodically. I want to be your
friend. And I want to be involved in your life. I
want to guide and direct you and listen to you
and speak to you. I want you to bare your heart
to Me, and I want to bare Mine to you.
God demonstrated His willingness to have
friendship with us in a tangible way. Romans 5:8 tells
us, But God showed his great love for us by
sending Christ to die for us while we were still
sinners (NLT).
Jesus was called the friend of sinners.
(And that wasnt a compliment.) He was - and
still is - the friend of sinners. He demonstrated
His desire to have friendship with us when He
went to the cross and died in our place while we
were still His enemies.
That is why Jesus said, There is no
greater love than to lay down ones life for
ones friends (John 15:13 NLT). He showed us
that love.
How many people would die for a friend?
Some would. How many would die for a husband or
wife or children? Most probably would. How many
would die for a casual acquaintance? Maybe a
handful of people would. But would any of us die for
our worst enemy? Probably not.
Yet while we were still sinners, while we
were still the enemies of God, Jesus Christ died
for us, showing us His friendship. Talk about
having a friend in high places. Yet Christians can
legitimately say, God is a close friend of mine.
However, if we want to be the friends of
God, we must meet certain requirements. We find
them in Johns Gospel, where Jesus said, You
are my friends if you do what I command
(15:14 NLT).
So, how are we to demonstrate our
friendship with Jesus? Quite simply, its by doing
what He says. And if we do not, then we really
have no right to call ourselves His friends.
Not all our friends will always stand by
us. But God, who wants to be your friend, always
will keep your confidence. You can reveal your
heart to Him. You can share your secrets with Him.
You can share anything with Him. He understands
you. He loves you and cares about you. And He
always will be there for you. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Romans 5:8 - Unfathomable Love.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230717-0942.html
Romans 5:8 - The Amazing Unconditional Love
of God for Relationship.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230311-0900.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210823-0933.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190221-1123.html
John 3:16 - Love Languages.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230217-0920.html
1 Corinthians 13 - Love Is Like That.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190611-0928.html
Romans 8:38, 39 - Omnipotent Love.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230319-0946.html
Jeremiah 31:3 - Gods Love is Everlasting.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230116-0908.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
