Romans 5:6-11

Question: Is there somebody in your life that you would die for? Think about it some. I must confess that I use the phrase "love to death" for people often. Truth is, if "death" showed its face, would I love that somebody enough to die for them? If I would, it is probably because I love that person, have a relationship with them, and because they have loved me. For the most part we all know how to love. Most of us have experienced love in one form or another.

I have another confession to make: I have never sat and read Romans 5:1-11 until this morning. That passage gave me chills and put me in a place similar to a drunken stupor. It is an incredible passage. Since I had never read it, I have never reflected on it. I am sure it is written elsewhere in the Bible, but for some reason this passage just hit me. The true scene of love was painted. The truth about love was laid out in front of me. It is the definition of love. It is another beautiful picture of just how much God loves us.

I have felt unloved by others before. I have been rejected by some of the very people I have considered friends. They never physically beat me or harmed me. They did their damage verbally and mentally. Through experiences in my life, I have been shown what love is NOT. Did I deserve it? Maybe, maybe not. Would I die for the very people who did that to me? I wish I could say yes but the answer is probably not. I definitely would not have wanted to while they were making me feel miserable. It has been hard enough to forgive them for making me feel so low in life. Yes, the "F" word: Forgive.

That is our weakness as earthly, fleshly beings. We cannot even get along with each other or forgive one another. And yet, Jesus died for us. Some of us would have a hard time taking a bullet for the ones we truly, deeply love. Yet Jesus took a cross for the very people who nailed him to the tree. Jesus died for us, sinners, the ones who mocked him, spit in his face, and beat him not only verbally but physically. Often, we tend to ignore him or do not really want to listen but do it anyways. Did he deserve any of it? NO!!! Jesus was, is, and always will be perfect!!! Did we then and do we now deserve it? I am going to say yes to this. We are the sinners after all. But Jesus came. God loved us so much that he poured out his anger and wrath for us onto the perfect sacrifice: His beloved son. Celebrate the fact that we have our Savior and he shows the meaning of true love. If you need a reminder, just reflect on the outstretched arms of our Lord on the wonderful, blood-stained cross.

Yes. He loves us that much.
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"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 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. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 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. 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. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God."

~*Romans 5:6-11 (NLT)*~