February 9: While We Were Still Sinners
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Read The Full Devotional Below.
Love That Doesn’t Wait
We live in a world that makes love conditional. If you perform well, if you meet expectations, if you prove yourself—then, and only then, do you receive love. That’s how relationships work in business, friendships, and even families. But God’s love is an entirely different kind of love. He didn’t wait for us to get it right before He loved us. He stepped in while we were still lost, broken, and running in the opposite direction.
The weight of that truth should shake us. God didn’t just offer love as a distant concept. He demonstrated it in blood and agony, through the cross. He loved us at our worst. He didn’t wait for us to become lovable—He loved us into transformation.
Think about it—how many times have you felt unworthy? How often have you been convinced that God is waiting for you to be “better” before He fully embraces you? It’s a lie the enemy loves to whisper, but Scripture shatters that deception. The cross stands as proof that God wasn’t waiting on you to change before He acted. He made the first move.
And this love? It’s not hesitant. It doesn’t flinch at your failures. It’s not watching from a distance, hoping you’ll eventually measure up. God’s love is relentless, pursuing, and willing to bleed to bring you home.
This is what makes Christianity unique. Every other system, philosophy, or religion says you must climb your way to acceptance. The Gospel alone declares that God climbed down to us. He didn’t send a list of rules; He sent a Redeemer. He didn’t demand we reach for Him; He reached out first.
When we begin to grasp this truth, it does something inside of us. It reshapes how we see ourselves, how we see God, and how we see others. If He loved us at our lowest, who are we to withhold love from those still struggling? If He met us in our brokenness, how can we not extend that same grace to those still in need?
The Man on the Bridge
Cole had messed up one too many times. He was a construction worker in New York City, but his real talent seemed to be burning bridges. His debts were mounting, his friends had stopped answering his calls, and he had wrecked too many relationships to count. He had once believed in God—his father had been a pastor—but now? Now, he was convinced that if God was real, He had surely given up on him.
That’s why Cole found himself standing on the Brooklyn Bridge one freezing winter night, gripping the cold railing and staring down at the dark waters below. Would the world even notice if he disappeared?
Just as he leaned forward, a voice cut through the night air. “Hey, man, don’t do it.”
Cole turned to see an old man in a worn-out coat, holding a cup of coffee. “I don’t know what you’ve done,” the stranger continued, “but I do know this—there’s someone who already paid for it. Every last bit of it.”
Cole scoffed. “You don’t know me.”
“No,” the old man said, “but I know Jesus. And He didn’t wait for you to fix yourself before He loved you. He died for you as you are, right now.”
Cole felt something in his chest tighten—a war between despair and hope. The stranger handed him the coffee and sat down on the pavement like he was willing to stay there all night if needed. “Come on, son,” he said. “There’s a better way down from here.”
That night, Cole didn’t step off the bridge. Instead, he stepped into a church a few days later. And for the first time in years, he dared to believe that maybe—just maybe—God still wanted him.
How This Truth Reshapes Us
Cole’s story is our story. Maybe we weren’t standing on a bridge, but we’ve all stood at the edge of hopelessness, convinced we were too far gone for grace. Romans 5:8 tells us otherwise.
God’s love isn’t earned; it’s given freely. He didn’t wait for us to clean up first.
Our worst moments don’t disqualify us. Christ didn’t die for the perfect—He died for the broken.
There’s no need to hide. He already knows every failure, and He loves us anyway.
We keep trying to prove our worth, but God already decided we were worth dying for—before we ever took a step toward Him.
What Do We Do With This?
Stop striving, start surrendering. We don’t have to earn what’s already been given. Let grace do what effort never could.
Show up messy. Don’t wait until you “feel holy” to come to God. He’s already waiting for you as you are.
Look for the Coles in your life. Someone around you believes they are beyond redemption. Show them the same relentless love that found you.
The greatest lie the enemy tells us is that we must fix ourselves before coming to God. But the truth of the Gospel is this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Right there, in our darkest moment, He stepped in. And He still does today.
So stop running. Let grace catch you.
A Prayer for Today
Father, I don’t deserve Your love, but You give it anyway. Thank You for loving me when I was at my worst. Help me stop running, stop striving, and just receive Your grace. Let me carry this same love to those who need it most. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
An Invitation to go Deeper….
Join the FaithLabz 30-Day Prayer Challenge, where we seek God daily and learn to trust His plans. Let’s walk this journey of faith together!
