Devotional Song: ... Go to this link … Please take the time to take in a video of Cliff Barrows leading a Bill Gaither worship gathering, singing the classic hymn … Blessed Assurance; … declaring the joy of praising our Savior, King Jesus, all the day long!!
Highlight Passage Romans 5: 8 [NKJV] …
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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Highlight Context - Romans 5: 1-11[NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
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Reference Passage #1 - John 3: 16 [NKJV] … You know it!! … His love so great that He was willing to die for sinners to become saints …
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Bill Crowder, used a word picture and illustration which is entirely different than the one which I got from his insights into the Romans 5: 1-11 passage which the ODB author highlighted in today’s entry. If you want to get Crowder’s imagery and insights, use the link below in my Blogger Note ... (last paragraph).
But at the end of Crowder’s devotional he made reference to how God’s Spirit, through Paul, sandwiched a message of the hope of glory we Christians have in surrendering to King Jesus, … God’s hope and love, sandwiched between layers of REJOICING in the reality of what our Lord did for us on the cross. The highlight passage from Romans 5, linked above, reminded me of the comfort, joy, and peace I get when I consume a REALLY good, pan-fried, ham and cheese sandwich. … Yes; … I know that’s a rather far-fetched image to illustrate the wondrous mystery and truth of what Paul was trying to get Christians to consume in Romans 5: 1-11 … i.e., the joy, peace, and victory we realize in the FACT that Jesus, our King and Lord, died on the cross, while we were yet sinners, so that we may live in His love for eternity.
Oh, my friend, that’s a HOPE OF GLORY sandwich, which is far more sumptuous and satisfying than the pan-toasted ham/cheese variety which I do so consume with joy. ... My dear one, here’s what God’s hope of glory sandwich looks like from Romans 5: 1-11 …
Top Layer - Rom. 5: 1-2 … REJOICE!.
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and REJOICE in hope of the glory of God.
Middle Layer - Rom. 5: 6 … HOPE of GLORY …
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Bottom Layer - Rom. 5: 11 …. REJOICE! …
11 And not only that, but we also REJOICE in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
And I pray that all who join me here today are reveling in the consumption of the truth of Romans 5: 8 and being refreshed and revived by it’s truth [do we also remember John 8:32?].
And as the devotional song, linked above, rejoices today … ”Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, … Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!!”
My Prayer for Today … O Lord, … thank You for the joy, peace, and victory I receive from consuming the truth of Romans 5: 8!! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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