A Gift Not Deserved

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.”

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!