The Gospel According to Paul: God Has Already Given You His Best. Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Sunday, April 29, 2018
Listen to “Thoughts in Worship 04.29.2018” on Spreaker.
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:32–34).
He Substituted Himself for Us
Some of us have meager faith. We may pray tiny prayers. Some of us don’t realize how big God is and just hope we can get through the day, rather than asking God for the fullness of His Spirit, all of the blessings He has stored up for us, and to enlarge our influence to draw tens, hundreds, thousands, and millions into a love relationship with God.
In our theme passage, Paul underscores the bigness of God’s love and willingness to give us all according to His riches in glory. He said that God gave us all of heaven in one Gift, Jesus Christ. Do you get the value of this Gift? Jesus, equal with the Father and unified with Him consented to be our Substitute and Surety of salvation. He died horrible death while in the flesh so we could live eternally when He returns. This is major! The One who never sinned and who created all that is visible, invisible; whether they be powers, thrones, kingdoms, or any other thing in the universe; He limited Himself to a human body and met the challenges of human needs. God loved the world so much that He gave us Jesus Christ so we could be saved. Wonderful!
His Depth of Sacrifice Leaves Nothing on the Table
For 33 and a half years the Father and Son did not share in the glory they had together before the world was created. Jesus had to rely on a power outside His human capacity, and divine prerogatives, so we could be saved.
If God loves us so much that He gave all of this, and more to us, why do some us us worry about our light bills? If God gave the infinite gift of love, which is treasured in the Person of Jesus Christ, why do some of us think it’s too hard from Him to comfort, heal, secure, deliver, cheer, empower, or unconfuse us? Why do we allow work pressures, unemployment woes, health problems, relationship breaches, and world political strife to cripple us? If God be for us, who can be against us? If God gave the biggest Gift possible already, what are these tiny little human needs to Him?
Permission to Believe Great Things
I want you to ask God to teach you to appreciate the vastness of the gift of Jesus Christ so your prayers and thanks will get broader, stronger, larger, deeper, and align with His power. Let God impress you with His greatness and increase your faith. Allow Him to increase your appreciation for Jesus’ death, victory, and mediation for you. Ask Him to increase your expectations of Him, as you pray in the spirit of Jesus’ perfection until He returns. Your great big God has already given you the best He has to offer, do not fear to ask Him to give you whatever is for His glory and your good. Go with God on your side and pray mountain moving prayers, by faith.
I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, are you?
