Category: Loving: God

Romans 5:5 NIV
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

“The strangeness of the gospel is that God’s kingdom comes not by taking but by giving: God gives himself in Son and Spirit, making us his.”¹ What extravagant giving – that we receive both Son and Spirit to be forgiven and cleansed, and also reconciled to God to now live in close communion with him. The Holy Spirit is God’s empowering presence who guarantees and enables us to remain in our at-one-ment with God. He does this, as Romans 5:5 says, by pouring God’s overflowing love into our hearts so that we can daily live in it. “God’s love, played out to the full in Christ, is an experienced reality in the ‘heart’ of the believer by the presence of the Spirit.”² Hallelujah! Today, let’s walk in humble dependence on the Spirit and be filled with the certainty of hope he gives to us.

Prayer: Father God, how good you are. Thank you that we now live in close communion with you through the gift of your Holy Spirit. Spirit of God, fill us afresh today with your supernatural faith, hope, and love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

With reverence and awe, let’s worship God with singing “This is Our God” by Hillsong (click here).

¹ Kapic, KM. “Atonement.” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Edited by Daniel Trier, p99.

² Fee, Gordon. God’s Empowering Presence, p496.

-JL

Romans 5:9-10 NIV
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Today, we live in the “how much more” love of the cross. What Apostle Paul is speaking to here is the confidence and hope we now have because of what God has done so thoroughly and abundantly through Jesus Christ. “In justifying us, God has already pronounced his verdict over us. It can be neither rescinded nor changed.”¹ Our “how much more” confidence is that God’s forgiveness and redemption will continue to flow and extend into every day and every area of our lives because we are those who belong forever to God. In this joy, let’s be his church who goes out to our cities and campuses to proclaim all he has accomplished for us on the cross. Let’s pray today for the love of God to overflow from us to our friends, classmates, and coworkers.

Prayer: God, help us today to be rooted and secure in your overflowing, “how much more” love. Lord, send us out to proclaim your goodness and love to those around us. We worship you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s praise the Lord with singing “This Is Amazing Grace” by Phil Wickham (click here).

¹ Moo, Douglas. Romans NIVAC, p175.

-JL

Romans 5:6-8 NIV
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

“Recently we were at Niagara Falls. When you get close to the falls, you don’t see it yet, yet you feel a mist…in comparison to Jesus, the old atonement is like that. It’s the same cleansing water and in the heat of the day that love is so good. But then you get close and now you finally see the falls in all its glory. The immensity is mind boggling. A million gallons per second. This is Jesus’ atonement. That’s what we mean by God’s overflowing love. The cross was more than just God, like some kind of accountant, collecting a debt. No, it was love. It was a love that went beyond what was expected, beyond what was deserved, beyond what was required for sin.” (P. Lee)

Let’s spend time marveling in the incredible truth of Romans 5:6-8. How it is all about love – love for us was God’s motivation, his means, and his goal. Let’s live in the overflowing, “million gallons per second” love of God and be cleansed daily.

Prayer: God, with awe and thanksgiving, we receive your immense love that washes us clean. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship God with “Come and See” by Matt Redman (click here).

-JL

John 1:29 NIV
Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 John 2:1b-2 NIV
But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Let’s look to Jesus, the Lamb of God, in humble trust and faith today. He is our atoning sacrifice who takes away our sins, for he alone is the Righteous One. In every area that we need to experience greater cleansing and peace, may the truth of 1 John 2 encourage us that the blood of Jesus is abundantly able to cover us. “Jesus is an able advocate on our behalf because he has fully dealt with God’s wrath on our behalf. There is no punishment of sin left to fear.”¹ Today, nothing needs to hinder us from freely and fully receiving the deep cleansing and new start we so long for in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, we bring our sin and our need for cleansing before you today. We look to Jesus, the Lamb of God and the atoning sacrifice that takes away our sin. May we experience the cleansing power of your blood washing over us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s rejoice that Jesus is stronger and greater than our sin and shame as we sing “Raised To Life” by Elevation Worship (click here).

¹ Campbell, Constantine. 1, 2, 3 John, p54.

-JL

Let’s declare and pray the following out loud together:

Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

1 John 4:10 NIV
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Romans 10:8-10 NLT
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Prayer: God, thank you for your overflowing love for us. We confess, “Jesus is Lord” and believe that you raised Jesus from the dead. By your grace, we draw near to you and receive your cleansing and washing anew. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship God with singing “Nothing But the Blood” by Matt Redman (click here).

– JL