Indestructible Love
by Bro. Duane Marshall
09/10/2023
Romans 5:8 - “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Oswald Chambers said, “God makes us pure by His sovereign grace.” It’s important to notice from Dr. Charles Stanley that “God's love for us flows from His character, not ours; it is not dependent on anything we have done or will do.”
If you do nothing to serve Him for the rest of your life, He will not love you any less. However, I don’t recommend it because it will dwarf your spiritual life and encourage the chastisement of your heavenly Father.
If you’ve been married very long, you’ll notice that fervent love has probably changed somewhat. The passion may not be as strong now as it was in the beginning; perhaps because of obligations such as work, hassle with the children, etc. Things just seem to get in the way because we take our focus off of our mates and spend our energy on life’s demands. To maintain a close relationship with our spouses, we have to make time for them because, next to the Lord, they’re the most important person.
What caused you and I to fall in love with our mate in the first place? Let’s examine our relationship with the Lord in the same light as our spouse. From God’s end of the relationship, He extends grace that carries an infinite depth of significance.
In the Greek, the definition of grace implies a favor freely done, without any claim of a returned favor. Aristotle suggests “something that is conferred freely, with no expectation of return, and finding its only motive in the free-heartedness of the giver.” When used by the Greeks, it expressed favor shown to a friend.
When the word is applied to Christ dying for sinners in Romans 5:8-10 it speaks of a different kind of love. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
This takes a huge leap forward because He expressed His favor toward His enemies. God sees you and me as being utterly ruined, hopeless, and helpless but at Calvary, Heaven’s love and Heaven’s justice meet. Christ bore the load and curse of human sin, and with God’s hatred against sin vindicated on the basis of His grace, He forgives the sinner no matter what they have done.
What was it that first attracted you to your spouse? Aside from their appearance, was it a character trait that held your attention? In human relationships, appearance plays a role, but we can’t see God, so we have to focus on His character to base our love for him.
The first thing that attracted me to my spouse was her ability to carry on a conversation. Second was her willingness to give of her means to help others and third was her positive outlook on life’s circumstances.
There are greater reasons to fall in love with your Heavenly Father. Go back and dwell on them for a while, then rekindle that flame with your spouse when you remember why you fell in love in the first place.
09/10/2023
Romans 5:8 - “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Oswald Chambers said, “God makes us pure by His sovereign grace.” It’s important to notice from Dr. Charles Stanley that “God's love for us flows from His character, not ours; it is not dependent on anything we have done or will do.”
If you do nothing to serve Him for the rest of your life, He will not love you any less. However, I don’t recommend it because it will dwarf your spiritual life and encourage the chastisement of your heavenly Father.
If you’ve been married very long, you’ll notice that fervent love has probably changed somewhat. The passion may not be as strong now as it was in the beginning; perhaps because of obligations such as work, hassle with the children, etc. Things just seem to get in the way because we take our focus off of our mates and spend our energy on life’s demands. To maintain a close relationship with our spouses, we have to make time for them because, next to the Lord, they’re the most important person.
What caused you and I to fall in love with our mate in the first place? Let’s examine our relationship with the Lord in the same light as our spouse. From God’s end of the relationship, He extends grace that carries an infinite depth of significance.
In the Greek, the definition of grace implies a favor freely done, without any claim of a returned favor. Aristotle suggests “something that is conferred freely, with no expectation of return, and finding its only motive in the free-heartedness of the giver.” When used by the Greeks, it expressed favor shown to a friend.
When the word is applied to Christ dying for sinners in Romans 5:8-10 it speaks of a different kind of love. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
This takes a huge leap forward because He expressed His favor toward His enemies. God sees you and me as being utterly ruined, hopeless, and helpless but at Calvary, Heaven’s love and Heaven’s justice meet. Christ bore the load and curse of human sin, and with God’s hatred against sin vindicated on the basis of His grace, He forgives the sinner no matter what they have done.
What was it that first attracted you to your spouse? Aside from their appearance, was it a character trait that held your attention? In human relationships, appearance plays a role, but we can’t see God, so we have to focus on His character to base our love for him.
The first thing that attracted me to my spouse was her ability to carry on a conversation. Second was her willingness to give of her means to help others and third was her positive outlook on life’s circumstances.
There are greater reasons to fall in love with your Heavenly Father. Go back and dwell on them for a while, then rekindle that flame with your spouse when you remember why you fell in love in the first place.
Posted in Forgiveness, Living for God, Relationship with Christ, The Mighty God
Posted in Romans 5, love, life, relationship, Grace, favor, dwell, flame
Posted in Romans 5, love, life, relationship, Grace, favor, dwell, flame
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