The Daily Word: Monday, July 19th, 2021
1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30
Romans 5:6-21
Psalm 15:1-5
Proverbs 19:18-19
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. – Rom. 5:6
Jesus died “in due time,” which can also be translated “at the right time.”[1] Crucifixion was one of the most gruesome, painful ways to die that has ever been invented by man. Yet Jesus chose to insert Himself into human history “at the right time” to die this gruesome death for us. Jesus could have come at any point in history! But He chose “the right time” to die in your place.
He chose to have a crown of thorns twisted around his head as Roman soldiers mocked him for being King, rupturing blood vessels and causing blood to stream down his face (John 19:2). He chose to be scourged: whipped with a cat of nine tails, the ends of which were threaded with shards of bone and metal designed to tear flesh off the bone. He chose to have his very skin and flesh torn off his back, leaving ribbons of muscle exposed and pulsating in the open air (Matt. 27:26). He chose to carry His cross on His mutilated back (John 19:17), splinters mercilessly stabbing into the exposed flesh of His shoulders and back. He chose to have his hands and his feet nailed to a cross, his hands spread out so wide that he would die a slow death – not from bleeding, but from asphyxiation as the weight of gravity caused his lungs to collapse. Jesus hung there, naked (Mk. 15:24) and bearing the weight of the sin and the shame of the world, so that you would always feel accepted and loved by God. He chose to die that gruesome death for you, in your place, so that you would never have to experience such an awful degree of suffering on your own.
Jesus came “in due time,” so you could be with God for all time. He died so that, when you put your trust in Him, you can truly live! Aren’t you grateful today?
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for dying in my place! Thank You for the Cross! I pray that I would be overwhelmed with absolute and incredible gratitude today as I think about everything You have done for me. I am so unworthy, but You are so amazing, and I love You with all my heart!
© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.
[1] Greek Kairos, Strong’s G2540