Taking a Look at Scripture 

 

“But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 NIV           

            This verse is considered a “foundational” truth within Christian beliefs. It reveals three basic, yet very important facts. It speaks to the unconditional nature of the love God has for his creation, it speaks to the substitutionary sacrifice Christ willingly made on our behalf, and clarifies the assurance of our salvation from sin.

            One thing people must understand is that God’s love is not a response to our goodness, our repentance, or our worthiness, but rather solely an act of grace. Grace is undeserved favor, which is something that can never be earned. The truth of the matter is that prior to salvation we were guilty, alienated from God and rebellious toward him. That stands in sharp contrast to love. Worldly love can tend to be conditional, based on merit. Man can never earn God’s love so isn’t it a good thing that God’s grace exists?

            Christ’s sacrificial death should never be seen as his martyrdom, but as a substitutionary atonement. Based on the OT sacrificial system that had been set in place, a perfect sacrifice must be made to cover the sin of the offering owner. This was different. The OT system was turned on its head with Christ’s death because his blood didn’t just cover the sin it removed it completely.

Christ died in our place. He took the penalty and judgment that was owed us and he did it willingly. This one act reveals God’s character, showing that his love was both costly and decisive. This was how it HAD to be done; there was no other way.

            Christ’s death provides an assurance to believers that while we were still enemies of God he allows for the one sacrifice that defines his immense love for his creation. This verse shows us the foundation of Christian hope, letting us know that NO SIN can separate believers from the love God has for them. It was fully expressed in Christ’s sacrifice while we were still enemies of God. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.salvationcall.com

 

Quote Contemplations 

 

“... now I will show you the most excellent way.” – 1 Corinthians 12:31b

 

            The apostle Paul is writing to the church members at the church in Corinth. The purpose of his letter was to identify problems in their church. He was offering solutions to those problems and attempted thru his letter to teach them how to live in their corrupt society.

            Paul concludes the 13^th chapter with this advice; that faith, hope, & love will last forever, but without question the greatest of the three is love. THAT is “the most excellent way”. Things that go along with ‘love’ would be kindness, mercy, consolation to name just a few. We’re to treat others the way we ourselves would like to be treated. [Luke 6:31] That should involve loving others, just as you would like others to love you.

            You can try to treat others well in a variety of ways; however, the way that ends up being the most real is the honest to goodness, heartfelt love you show another person. Know this though; loving those who already love you is not the point of the teaching. We are expected to show love to EVERYONE, even those who dislike or even HATE us for whatever reasons. 

            If I am hated for anything in this life I’d like it to be because of my affiliation with Jesus Christ. Jesus is a threat to Satan and all who reject the Lord’s existence. Some even say that Christianity is very dangerous because we try to force people to follow the teachings in the Bible. The ones who say that are the “anti-theists”. Musician Enos is a rabid “anti-theist” spewing lies to breed hate against God. His unrighteous deeds will be dealt with by God in due time. In spite of the world’s hatred, we are to love just as Christ loved... unconditionally. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

Quote Contemplations

 

“Your mistakes are nothing more than a page in the book, but it isn’t the end.” – RL Keller

 

            If you’re a human being you will make mistakes. Hopefully you will not be prone to making mistakes, but you will have lapses of reason and make ill-advised decisions that may not end particularly well.  Your mistakes do NOT define you as a person, at least not in God’s eyes. I tend to believe that we humans think a whole lot less of ourselves than our creator does. While there are some egocentric folks out there, I doubt they make of the majority of the world’s population.

            “Newer research suggests humans may be less egocentric than previously thought, often showing high sensitivity to the beliefs of others rather than defaulting to self-centered assumptions.” ^[1]  

            Almighty God doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. How do we arrive at that conclusion? 1 John 4:8 tells us straight out, “Whoever doesn’t know love doesn’t know God, because God is love.” So then if we then go to 1 Corinthians 13:5 we find that Paul is speaking of love and says, “(Love) does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” Therefore, if God is love and love keeps no record of wrongs, than God keeps no record of wrongs. It’s called deductive reasoning, or an “if-then” clause.

            God’s grace is his undeserved favor bestowed upon his children; those who have received his Son and his subsequent forgiveness, sanctification, and undeserved favor (grace). My left forearm has a saying tattooed on it, “Because of God’s grace I am no longer defined by past mistakes.” I wear that proudly because I know I’m not perfect and never will be, but since I accepted God’s terms for forgiveness he doesn’t hold any of my mistakes against me. That’s an eternal promise. God writes the end of our story. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1]https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/2023/10/30/news/why_humans_aren_t_as_egocentric_as_you_might_think_new_research-3738079/

Quote Contemplations

 

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ―  H. Jackson Brown Jr.

 

“It is better to give than to receive.”  - Proverb 20:35

 

“The proverb ‘it is better to give than to receive’ means that the act of giving is more virtuous, noble, and spiritually satisfying than the act of receiving. Originating from Acts 20:35, where the Apostle Paul quotes Jesus, the phrase teaches that generosity brings greater happiness and blessing to the giver than the pleasure of acquiring things for oneself.” ^[1]

      I know that to be true. When you give money to someone who is in dire straits, or food to people without, or a winter coat to a homeless person, when given with the proper motivation, is very satisfying. It’s not all about us. God uses us in various ways and scripture is very clear on this front: “But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” [Matthew 6:3 NLT] In other words, don’t broadcast what you’re doing for someone, for what you did is no one else’s business. We are not to seek recognition for anything we do in the name of the Lord. A humble spirit is required. Whether anyone knows who gave the gift is of no consequence. The Lord indirectly did it thru you. He moved upon the heart of a person to assist in a tangible way. God is to receive the glory, not us. 

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] www.biblehub.com

 

Quote Contemplations 

 

“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.”  -  Victor Hugo*

 

            This is something I say quite often. That God loves us in spite of ourselves. Let’s face it, our lives don’t paint a pretty picture. Mankind is deeply flawed and in need of a major makeover. The beauty of God is that he knows all about us yet loves us in spite of ourselves. He knows we are but dust and to dust we shall return. 

            We must understand something very important. God knows who we are. He knows what we’ve thought, said, and done in our life. He knows the good and the bad; the beautiful and the ugly side of each one of us. In spite of all our foul-ups he loves us. He loves us in spite of our moral and/or ethical weaknesses. He may not agree or like what we are doing with our lives, but it has no impact on his feelings for us. 

            We can go to the Lord with any problem or potentially dire situation, and he will not judge us.  Instead he will show us a better way. He is always ready to forgive the contrite heart and will never hold any past iniquities against us. So remember and never forget that we are loved by our Creator passionately and eternally and NOTHING will ever change that!!

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

* Victor-Marie Hugo, February 26,1802 – May 22, 1885) was a French Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician.

 

Quote Contemplations 

 

“Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.” -  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.*

            This advice is well suited for marriage and other special relationships. The truth of the matter is that when you’ve made someone you care about happy, then YOU are happy as well. Love is the catalyst that provides the spark. When you love someone then their feelings are paramount to you. Doing for them out of love brings you satisfaction. It also reveals to the recipient the depth of feelings you have for them.

            Spiritually speaking, we should return God’s love for us back to him. We do that by obeying the standards laid out in the Bible. God’s love for us cannot be topped in that his own Son died in our place, the atonement for our sins. THAT is a special, supernatural kind of love that is eternal in nature.

            Being happy is a choice. Some people have wonderful lives by worldly standards yet are not happy because they feel they are missing something. They are. A relationship with their Creator. They haven’t found that piece of unparallelled happiness and satisfaction yet, but it is our prayer that some day they will. 

            Worldly happiness is temporal; here today and gone tomorrow. Only that which is eternal will last. Some folks look for that ‘thing’ that they feel they are missing, without knowing where to look or how to find it. And the Holy Spirit quietly calls out to them, but they do not have ears to hear. Someday maybe they will. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*Horace Jackson Brown Jr. (March 14, 1940 – November 30, 2021) was an American author who was best known for his inspirational book, Life's Little Instruction Book.

Quote Contemplations

 

“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1 NIV

 

            “...The full extent of his love.” If you ever had any doubts as to how much God loves you, doubt no further. Knowing in painful detail what he would have to go thru to show the world the depth of his love, Jesus willingly gave himself over to the cruelty of the Roman soldiers. The Lord took an ordinary scene and by his divine presence and calm demeanor, turned it into a holy event. The man who could have called down a thousand angels to his side to defend him remained silent. Jesus knew what must be done and he also knew he was the ONLY one who could accomplish this and have it mean something eternal. I would say that there is no one living or dead who could have pulled this off, because the creature is but a pale reflection of its creator.

            The full extent of God’s love for those who have given themselves over to his guidance and leadership is deeper than the deepest ocean and wider than the sky.  Nothing compares to it. Nothing ever will. It is my believe that mankind will never, ever fully appreciate or understand what actually transpired over 2000 years ago on a hill called Golgotha. And Christ did that for each one of us. Some embrace it and have it revolutionize their lives; others barely consider it, questioning if it was real or just a legend.  

            They say experience is a great teacher. Experiencing salvation thru faith and trust in God teaches you over the course of time that Christ and his crucifixion were very real historic events. Scripture combined with time period documents verify the existence of Jesus of Nazareth and the spectacle on Golgotha’s hill. That is how deep the extent of Christ’s love for us is. That he would die for each one of us. Matchless love, incredible display. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries