December 1, 2024 - 1 Timothy 1:8-11
“We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders…or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.” 1 Timothy 1:8-11 NLT
Jesus, the religious leaders didn't always think you were obeying their laws. Yet you lived a sin free life. What I do see is how love compelled all you did. You were willing to lay aside your position to come to earth as a human. You lived a sin free life so that you could be the sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. Then you suffered the punishment of a brutally painful death on the cross for a crime you didn’t pay. One of the most amazing displays of love is the fact that in an instant you could have called down the armies of heaven to stop the cruel punishment you were enduring on the cross. In an instant everyone involved could have been destroyed and you glorified to your proper position. What self-control it took. What love it took. It is the deepest and purest of love. We are unfaithful and mess up again and again. Even the best of us don’t begin to come close to deserving the price you paid for our sins, yet still your love sacrificed for us. We can’t express adequate gratitude for your love.
Lord, we know that our actions or behaviors can never earn us your love, but how we live does demonstrate our love for you. This verse challenges me that if the law is my motivation to be good, I will fail. But if it is my love for you that motivates me, I am much more likely to succeed in living a holy life that brings you glory. Help us love you the way you love us.
In Jesus name, amen.
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