Daily Devotions
December 24th, 2013 by Pastor Solley1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
How great a mystery is it that God would want anything to do with sinful man? It is a mystery, a great mystery without controversy. Consider the state of sinful man. (Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.) That is a picture of the heart of man, the heart of all men. Who would want anything to do with anyone like that? God would. Jesus would. “God was manifest in the flesh”, God was given to man in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only given to man, but would live in this world so He, Jesus, could die for man. (Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.) This truth goes beyond this preachers ability to understand it. I do believe it, believe it with all my heart, but I just cannot understand why a holy and righteous God would want anything to do with a sinner like me. What did Jesus see in me, what does Jesus see in me that would make it worth it to suffer and die foe me, worth it to leave heaven for me, what did Jesus see in me? Nothing, nothing at all, He just loved and loves me. But not me only, the whole world lost in sin, all men and women, boys and girls, all men everywhere. (John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.) Without controversy that is a mystery.