I wanted to share one of my daily quiet times from the last week. Recently during this great event of social distancing, I’ve tried to read my Bible and spend more time with God. When school is in and other distractions cloud my brain, its easy to let God slip from 1st place in my life, but now I’m convicted of the extra time that I have that should be given to deepening my faith.
One of my most recent quiet times helped me give more reverence to Jesus’ sacrifice; His life given instead of mine. Although Easter is passed, I think we should still celebrate and cling to the crucifixion and resurrection; it MAKES our faith and salvation meaningful. This devotional is from Romans chapter 5. Verse 6 says:
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Throughout this chapter there is a lot of strange language, with many situations of “even more” and “even so” which can sometimes complicate the meaning of a verse. Verse 6 declares in “due time” which I understand this phrase, but what is the actual purpose of it in the context of Jesus’ crucifixion?
One of the resources I use for bible study is Blue Letter Bible, recommended by my youth pastor. This resource shows the translation of the verse as well as the Hebrew or Greek words that translate into English. From this app, it’s clear that we can learn more about what the verses mean by studying phrases we have questions about.
The word for time in this verse is ‘kairos’ meaning:
- a fixed and definite time
- decisive epoch waited for
- an opportune or seasonable time
Knowing this, we can view the crucifixion in new light. Christ’s death on the cross wasn’t just a random time. It’s not like God just threw a dart at a timeline of all human history for when to send Jesus down. The cross was Plan B Plan C a divine, awaited appointment. God knew exactly who we needed and what had to be done in order to restore us to Himself. He knew that someone Completely Perfect and Sinless was required to take our place because He was familiar with the depth of our sin. That someone would have to endure the most gruesome punishment of all time for a godless people. Christ’s death was definite and conclusive. The need for a sacrifice was completely met at the time when it was due. Because of God’s amazing grace, reckless love, and intimate desire to know us and redeem us, Jesus was sent, and fully paid the debt on our behalf.
As we look at God’s beautiful narrative of overwhelming mercy, His perfect timeline is astounding. Through the Bible we see what has taken place, and in our own lives we see what He works out for our good. Next, we must release our future to Him. It’s easy to worry, and hard to blindly relinquish control. Even so, we know God is Providential and Our Caregiver. Here’s a question that I had to ask myself:
- What areas of my life can I entrust into His hands?
When I read over this, I feel like I’m all over the place, not connecting scripture to a lesson I learned, but here it is plainly. We’re sinners who need a Savior. God sent one at the perfect time, and Everything In The History Of The World was lined up for that time. If we truly believe this, we must believe that God is still developing His Story through us. Therefore, trust Him with your future, and with every area of your life because He will make it beautiful.
-Terin E. Waller
🙂
Set Apart 