For This Reason...

One of the daily struggles for me as a mom is applying the gospel to myself when I have sinned against my children. Condemnation is close at hand when I love myself more then I love the sprouts in the sinful moments of my day. After a particularly hard day of struggling with this, Joshua shared with me during his "wifely care time" the phrase, "For this reason Christ died." He encouraged me to say it to myself whenever I am losing sight of the cross and what Christ paid for on my behalf. So that every thought of "I just sinned again" would be followed by "For this reason Christ died for me." This phrase has helped train my thoughts by using the gospel to make a preemptive strike against condemnation. It takes my gaze off of myself and my sin and puts it on Christ and the cross.

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

'Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." Romans 8:34