Romans 5:8 "God commended His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us"
A few years ago, our puppy Benny (who just turned 16 by the way), went outside for a little while. Then there he was at the back door asking to back come in. I opened the door, and the smell was so strong it almost knocked me over. Benny had a close encounter with a skunk. Well, he started running around the whole house and the smell of the skunk got on everything. Our couch, the carpet, everything, yuck! I searched every possible remedy to get rid of the smell. I used vinegar, baking soda, Lysol, you name it, I did it, in an effort to "neutralize" the smell, I did it all!
If we really understood how much God loves us it would change everything. If we understood that God loved us, worry, stress, and panic would no longer be an everyday occurrence. When we say "I know God loves me, but…", we basically neutralize everything about His love for us. Neutralize means to render something ineffective by applying an opposite force or effect. That’s what "but" does, it renders God's love ineffective in our life!
Think about this, when you were born again, how much had you been fasting, praying, going to church, paying your tithes, living holy, and doing everything just right? Romans 5:8 means that Christ did the ultimate when you deserved it the least. You may have been in adultery, doing drugs, at your very worst, whatever, and yet Christ died for you! It was completely independent of what you could do. It was a gift, and it was presented to you. So, don’t neutralize God's love for you…no more buts.
