Human vs. Spiritual – Who’s the Winner?
Read: Romans 5:6-11
As we age, everyday, we get older
and think our strength will not run out.
The older we get the more confident we are of our strength failing. Unfortunately we must rest every night and
replenish our strength to ‘fight again’ tomorrow. If we don’t rest, we will eventually crash,
get weaker, and possibly sick! When was the last time you stayed up as
late as possible, only to miss the morning of the new day – resting up!?
God knows our weaknesses! He in fact made us. Why did he make us so weak? Why do we believe we are so strong? Consider this my friends …
Lamentations
3:
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His
compassions never fail. 23 They are new every
morning; Great is Your
faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”
How can we trust in ourselves more
than Him?
Romans 5: 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
This is an amazing
thought, so who could have done this but God!
I sure couldn't even if I thought I had the strength to do it!
While I remain helpless and weak everyday –
Christ died for me at the perfect time.
Here’s what that means to me:
We don’t like to talk
about it, but we should. Death is like a
Gift – in Christ’s death he gave us a ‘gift’ of life! A gift
we didn't deserve … eternal life if we trust in Him. But wait it gets better! First ask yourself this question, ‘What do I need to ‘die to’ in order to give
something to someone else? Don’t have an answer?
So let’s
re-read the passage and exchange (for a moment) the word GIVE for DIE …
Romans
5: 7 For one will hardly GIVE for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would
dare even to GIVE. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were (still) yet sinners, Christ GAVE for us.
I can see myself “giving”
something to a righteous man, and perhaps dare to “give” to a good man, but to “give”
something like love to someone still acting selfishly sinful!? That would kill me! Right!
But here is where it gets better …
Romans
5: 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His
blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while 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 this, but we also exult in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
While the death of Christ gave us a gift that we didn't deserve – eternal life when we die, the life of Christ shall save us to
live a life of mutual friendship with God today! So,
what kind of life are you giving others?
Reconciliation is a change from enmity to friendship. It is mutual.
What other friendship do you
have that is truly mutual? God has
conferred on me the token of His friendship – by GIVING us His gift of Christ’s death on the Cross.
Spiritual living does outlast, out gives, out loves
the Human effort – everyday!