City Life Starter

I. The Word: Romans 5:6-8

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

II. Reflection Questions:

1. Why was it the “right time” for Christ to die?

2. Have you ever felt “owed” something because of something you did?

3. What would make you doubt God’s love for you?

KACEE’S Keystrokes:

My husband demonstrates his love for me a lot in our marriage because he’s pretty awesome like that. Whether it is knocking something off the “honey-do” list without me asking, an encouraging note, flowers, taking the kids so I can have some me time, or just out of nowhere looking me in the eyes and telling me how much he appreciates me and loves me, all of the actions reinforce the vows we made to each other 16 years ago and make them become more than just words that were spoken long ago.

If I’m being honest, there are moments when I feel like maybe I’ve earned that love and honor from him. Sometimes I actually try really hard to be a good wife! When he notices something I’ve done or how I’ve been sacrificing my own comforts or conveniences for him and responds with kind words or maybe even an act in response, I always appreciate it, but maybe I was also expecting it a little. There is that small voice that’s like, “Of course you are showering love and affection on me- I worked really hard to bite my tongue, or let you sleep in when it was my day to sleep in (parents will understand that one), or I’m just being really awesome in general right now. That is the response I’m owed.” Don’t pretend like you don’t have that voice creep up on you, too! Our flesh will take glory any chance it gets!

But let me assure you, lest you get the wrong picture, I am not always killing the game in the wife department. Or mother department. Or even decent human being department. The days I actually feel good about those roles can be far less than the days I don’t. I can be overcome with my own failures, insecurities, emotions, or just simply be too wrapped up in my own thing to be that giving of myself to others. On those days, I’m certainly not expecting my husband to notice how awesome I am, much less reward me for it. I’m just hoping at the very least he DOESN’T notice how much I am coming up short.

And sometimes, on one of those days, Chris will stop everything and give me a long hug, tell me I’m beautiful when I am not acting lovely (or feeling lovely), or go out of his way to do something for me even after I had a bad attitude or was short with him. And sometimes it’s something totally out of the blue for no reason at all.

That’s when he catches me in that space between not deserving his love and not being able to doubt or deny it, either. He loves me because he loves me. And those demonstrations of love sink down the deepest and speak the loudest, and those moments, more than when I feel I’ve earned it, make me feel the most secure and confident in his love for me.

This is why Paul said it was the “right time” that Christ died for us (verse 6). He caught us in that space, too. It was the perfect way for Him to do it and the only way He could do it. If the Bible would have said that while we were still good enough it was the right time for Him to die, or even that some were good and some were bad, we could take some of the credit or even feel justified by our works that He would die for us, as bold as that would be to believe. As Paul says in verse 7, one could reason that a good person might be deserving of someone giving their life for them. Probably not, because that’s a very radical act, but at least a case could be made and it could be within our logical reasoning to think it in the realm of possibility. That little voice could come in and say, “Of course Jesus died for me. Look at my goodness.” But, nope. We don’t get to take even an ounce of glory or credit for Christ’s ultimate demonstration of love for us. He eliminated that option when He gave His life for the ungodly. The purity and power of the Good News could not be tarnished by pride in our own works.

But He also eliminated the doubt or denial we could have in His great love for us, and there is so much security in that. Because if it was based on any of our own merits, we could always wonder or feel like there would be something we could do to make Him love us less or get us out of this amazing arrangement we find ourselves in. But when He chose to die once for all sin, while we were sinners, He put to death, quite literally, the idea that there are conditions or limits on His love for us. If He died for me while I was His enemy, if He gave His life when I was not at my best, then what could I do to make Him love me any less? He already gave the ultimate demonstration of love- there’s no topping it or doing it again.

It was perfection. Lord, today I am thankful for the “right time” You chose to freely give Your life for me. No love is greater or more powerful than the love You have shown us on the cross, while we were still sinners.