Daily Devotionals

Trouble Maker Week 1: Saturday

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

 
When I gave my 3-year-old niece Collins a birthday present, I asked her, “Do you know why I gave you a birthday present?” “Because I needed one!” she quickly replied. After laughing, I told her that that was not the reason I gave her a present. Instead, I gave her a present because I love her. Because I love her, I wanted her to have the gift I picked out for her. My love was my motivation for giving. As we think about the truth that Jesus left heaven, came to earth and took on human form, and died a brutal death on a cross, many might wonder, “why?” In other words, what motivated Jesus to do what He did? Scripture answers this question for us: Jesus did all of this because of His love for us.

The apostle Paul explains that love was the motivation for why Jesus came in Romans 5.” When we were utterly helpless,” he writes, “Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (verse 6). He continues teaching in verse 7 that most people would not be willing to die for a “good” person, but perhaps someone might be willing to die for an “especially good” person. Despite the unwillingness most would show to die for a “good” person, Paul explains that Jesus did something completely radical. “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners,” he wrote. This, my friends, was God’s motivation for sending Jesus: His love. God loved us so much that he did not want us to be stuck and lost in our sin. Instead, he sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins that we could not pay so that we could have a life with Him. This is just how much He loves us.

God loves you. Take a few moments to let this truth sink in. Maybe you have felt like you have messed up so badly that there is absolutely no way that He could love you. This is simply untrue. God has always loved you, even when you were lost in sin. When you were lost in sin, He did whatever it took to rescue you. God loves you not because of anything you have done or not done, but simply because you are you. May you rest in His love today.

Moving toward action

God loves you so very much. The only appropriate response to such love is to reply, “I love you, too.” Pray right now, expressing your love to God. Thank Him for all of the love and great kindness He has shown to you. See you in church this weekend!

Going Deeper

Romans 5:1-11 (NLT)

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God."