I was running some errands the other day when a couple of questions popped up in my mind. Who would have thought that God would become a man? Who would have thought the whole salvation history? Who would have thought all of it?

I laughed out loud when I came across this C.S. Lewis quote: “Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up. But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that real things have. So let us leave behind all these boys’ philosophies–these over simple answers. The problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simple either.”

Who would have guessed indeed? Christianity is crazily wonderful. “It is finished!” All is done. We only need to believe! Who would have thought? This question returned into my mind while reading Romans 8 this morning. Who would have thought/guessed that God would send his own son to save us!

God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. (Romans 8:3-4, MSG)

God really came up close and personal by becoming a man. God cares for you and me so much that he did the unthinkable by embracing our condition and dying for us and raising to life for us! Who would have thought? Who would have guessed?

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (Romans 8:31-39, MSG)

Because God put everything on the line for us there is nothing he would not do for us. Isn’t that amazing? Doesn’t that make you feel truly loved? God loves you so much that he died for you and conquered death to be able to save you! Who would have thought? Who would have guessed! God did! Thanks be to God!

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for your amazing love.
Thank you for your wonderful plan
to save us.
Give us faith, give us grace.
Enable us to fully embrace
your love and your grace.
May our faith flow now and forever.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What do you think? How bold does this make you feel in Christ? What are you going to do about it?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you explore the depths of God’s love and the width of God’s grace. Be bold, my fellow pilgrim, as you go out and share the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Photo courtesy of Krystian Jaskula