The Inseparable Nature of God’s Grace
Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
After high school, I volunteered at a Young Life camp in Colorado. I was placed on the ‘pit crew’ with a couple of other recent graduates. When we arrived, our pit crew boss Ethan Collins introduced himself. He was a recent graduate of Texas A&M University who had just been hired to lead Young Life in The Woodlands, Texas. (He would later transition to be the missions pastor of Faith Bible for a number of years.)
He told us that over the next month we would be washing dishes for 8-plus hours a day for the glory of God, growing deeper in our walk with Christ together. He challenged us to memorize the greatest chapter in the entire Bible – Romans 8. I remember then thinking what a bold statement, but after deep study, I agreed then and still agree over 30 years later that Romans 8 is the greatest chapter in the entire Bible.
When we look at Romans 8, we see that Paul starts by saying we are FREE. We are FREE in Christ. The greatest chapter in the Bible starts by telling us we are FREE. Paul concludes with another profound, simple idea. That NOTHING, let me say that again – NOTHING! Yes, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In fact, he does not just say it but goes to great lengths to emphasize and illustrate it. He points to the extremes to give us certainty of his proclamation--things present and future, beings and forces we can see and those we cannot. That as believers in Jesus Christ, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God!
This means whether you are having a bright sunny day or are in the middle of the darkest night, God’s love is there. No matter how bad things seem, how much the world around you is crumbling, no matter what trial, trouble, tribulation, turmoil or trench you find yourself in – God loves you. Just simply say that over yourself today – GOD LOVES YOU!
Tomorrow morning when you get out of bed, before you throw off the sheets and your feet hit the floor, just lay there for one minute and say to yourself: no matter what happens today, this week, this year, this lifetime – NOTHING will separate me from God, NOTHING will separate me from my enteral security, NOTHING will separate me from walking with Jesus today. He will be there, His love will be there, and I will walk FREE with Him in that truth.
He told us that over the next month we would be washing dishes for 8-plus hours a day for the glory of God, growing deeper in our walk with Christ together. He challenged us to memorize the greatest chapter in the entire Bible – Romans 8. I remember then thinking what a bold statement, but after deep study, I agreed then and still agree over 30 years later that Romans 8 is the greatest chapter in the entire Bible.
When we look at Romans 8, we see that Paul starts by saying we are FREE. We are FREE in Christ. The greatest chapter in the Bible starts by telling us we are FREE. Paul concludes with another profound, simple idea. That NOTHING, let me say that again – NOTHING! Yes, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In fact, he does not just say it but goes to great lengths to emphasize and illustrate it. He points to the extremes to give us certainty of his proclamation--things present and future, beings and forces we can see and those we cannot. That as believers in Jesus Christ, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God!
This means whether you are having a bright sunny day or are in the middle of the darkest night, God’s love is there. No matter how bad things seem, how much the world around you is crumbling, no matter what trial, trouble, tribulation, turmoil or trench you find yourself in – God loves you. Just simply say that over yourself today – GOD LOVES YOU!
Tomorrow morning when you get out of bed, before you throw off the sheets and your feet hit the floor, just lay there for one minute and say to yourself: no matter what happens today, this week, this year, this lifetime – NOTHING will separate me from God, NOTHING will separate me from my enteral security, NOTHING will separate me from walking with Jesus today. He will be there, His love will be there, and I will walk FREE with Him in that truth.
Reflection Questions:
- What specific circumstances, relationships, failures, or fears in your life currently feel like they might be creating distance between you and God's love?
- How does Paul's emphatic declaration that "NOTHING" can separate you from God's love challenge those feelings?
- Take time to name these areas and surrender them to the truth of God's unchanging love.
Posted in Free- by the Grace of God
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