God loves the helpless.

Romans 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. If you remember in Romans 4:5, Paul wrote, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Here, Paul encouraged his readers by saying that Christ died for the ungodly at the right time. What made it the right time? We, mankind, after having hundreds of years with the Law, were still helpless—helpless to obtain godliness and righteousness. There was no reason for God to wait longer in history to manifest His Son. Mankind had unarguably proven that he was ungodly and was helpless to make himself righteous. Not one person sought for God, had done good, or was righteous. All were helplessly enslaved to sin and ungodly. Again, Paul spotlighted that justification entirely depended on God’s love and gracious character. He sent His Son to die when we were helpless. This helps us understand the love of God that lives inside of us and that is expressed by the Lord Jesus. We shouldn’t expect people to meet up to our standards, much less God’s standards of righteousness. God loved us and them while we were helpless, so we can love them without expecting them to perform to our liking. Living to love with Jesus today means we are prepared to lay down our lives for others, even after they have proven time and time again that they cannot love God or us. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com