The Gospel According to Paul: God Gave His All for You, and Nothing Can Separate You From Him. Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Monday, April 30, 2018
Listen to “Thoughts in Worship 04.30.2018” on Spreaker.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35–39).
A Word of Encouragement
I have great news for you today! God loves you. He absolutely adores you. God gave His all because He cannot stomach the idea of living eternally without you. This is why He created you; to be with Him forever.
Quite frankly, it does not always feel like God loves us. It’s not that God stops showing us His love; He doesn’t. It’s that the trials of life get in our way. They cloud our vision and disrupt our connection to God at times. Paul wanted to make the point clear, that there is nothing that can make Him love you any less. In the context of Romans 8, He rescued you from eternal death.
You are now walking in the power of His Holy Spirit, free from condemnation and you are receiving the blessing of Jesus’ victory and example of holiness. Today you are benefitting from the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of your prayers so the Father can answer them for His glory and your benefit. You have already begun to realize that the temporary trials of this life cannot be compared to the eternal blessings that come after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. You are already experiencing the power to mortify the evil deeds you used to enjoy when you were trapped by sin. Now, you need a little encouragement.
He Put It All On the Line For You
Can the trials you will suffer for Christ’s sake separate you from God’s love? No! Can those who hate and persecute you separate you from His love? No! Can the fact that God’s people are not immune to death separate you from His love? No! Can evil spirits, principalities and powers on earth or in the supernatural realm–though you cannot see them– separate you from God’s love? No!
Why can’t anything separate you from His love, my friends? There’s one reason we are bound to His love when He rescues us from sin—He laid it all on the line, changing heaven and earth forever by giving His Son for us. Since He gave all, to show His love for us, He cannot be anymore committed to that love. He gave His best for you. Will you continue to give your best for Him?
I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, are you?
