When difficult times come, sometimes those trials not only distress our lives, but also cause a split or tear in various relationships. Sickness, legal, and financial troubles can strain a marriage. Sometimes various troubles can cause some friends to just drift away. Then there are the times when the troubles might cause a need to move away, whether financial troubles, or even things like a war or a natural calamity that force a move. Families and friends are split apart by distance, and then lose touch. How about God? Though we may be separated from others during major catastrophes, will He turn away from us, or can something or someone come between us and the Lord? Our Scripture today from the Book of Romans gives us the answer. Let’s see what God’s Word says.
Sometimes when people try to encourage us in our trials, they give us some positive platitudes, but they might not understand or have any real basis for what they say. However, this Scripture passage is not just a theory that the Apostle Paul shares with us, but a personal testimony. Paul had personally survived assaults from enemies, unfair imprisonment, separation from friends, hunger, natural storms, financial needs, and many other calamities. He could assuredly testify that none of these could separate us from the love of Jesus (vs. 35).
God has a profound love for His people. No matter what has happened, or will ever happen to us, no matter where we may ever be, we can never be lost from the love of Jesus to us. It is impossible to be separated from Jesus. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can stop His constant presence with us.
As Paul continues on, he calls believers, those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, as being “more than conquerors” (vs. 37). God’s Word tells us that we, through our union with the Lord Jesus, have conquered against Satan, the powers of evil, and those who fight against us. We conquer completely. Jesus took the blows for us when He died on the cross for our sins. He paid the penalty with His Blood, and rose victorious. Through our union with Him, we do not need to take the blows, making us more than a conqueror. It is God’s strength and power that has already secured our victory.
What may come against us, and try to separate us from God? Paul lists several things that may try. These things may succeed in separating us from family and friends, but as Paul testifies, they can never separate us from God (vs. 38-39). Paul’s list includes anything in life, he lists death, angels, principalities (which are the fallen angels or demons), and powers (people in positions of authority). He tells us that nothing happening to us now or in the future, nothing in life’s path from beginning to end, can take God’s love away from us. We can be on the highest mountain, or at the bottom of the ocean, but that won’t matter. We read “any other created thing” - Paul added this in case anything or anyone might be left out. This covers everything but God Himself. There is not a single created thing that can separate us from God’s love!
All of the unseen forces of evil in this universe can come against us, and God’s love will protect us from them. We may end up alone, with all friends and family having forsaken us because of some of these attacks, just as Paul sometimes was, but Jesus will always be with us, as nothing will take His love away.
God’s love is unconditional, and once we accept His love through faith in the Lord Jesus, absolutely nothing can ever break our bond to Him (John 10:29). Only Jesus can help us with our fears. Only He can stop and defeat Satan. Nobody can take away the benefits which God has given to His children. Just as a loving parent will reach out and protect their little and helpless child, God promises to take hold of our hand. His hand is much stronger than mine, and He will never let go of me.
No comments:
Post a Comment