“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 8:38-39}
I am just loving this verse today. I can’t believe that I can love this verse even more than I have done in times past. I guess it’s because I actually understand more and more the older I am getting, what it means to be loved by God. I am learning that His love is faithful no matter how many times I’ve slipped and fell and goofed off in this life. The more I want to run away from Him, the more He chases me. The more I try to convince Him that I am no good and unlovable, the more He tells me He doesn’t care. He loves me anyway.
You might notice that Apostle Paul who penned the book of Romans doesn’t say in this verse, “nor sin or foolishness” can separate us from the love of God. But the Lord has shown me today that as long as I am talking to Him about my sins and my foolishness and whatever messes I encounter day in and day out in my life, not even my sins and my foolishness can separate me from His love. Even if I have decided for a season to stop talking to Him, the minute I want to go back to Him and ask for His love again He will accept me. As long as I live His love will continue to coax me, and draw me, and invite me to that wonderful loving relationship He longs to have with all of us.
Have you ever found yourself doing something that you know you should not be doing, because it’s hindering the work you’re supposed to do for the Lord? It might not even be sinful in the eyes of your neighbors but nevertheless, you know it isn’t what you should be doing. You know you have work that must be done for the Lord, but nevertheless what you got yourself involved in has become a powerful attraction in your life that all of a sudden the Lord’s work is put on hold. You feel utterly helpless about it. He’s told you to pack it all up and put it away but you’ve reasoned yourself to Him and He has let you have your way, and now the enemy is on the bandwagon using it as a snare in your life. You want to quit but somehow you feel powerless.
I can’t even imagine how this would be like for some people out there who have a serious addiction problem in their lives. They want to overcome and quit but can’t. I can’t even imagine what torture the enemy must put them through. He must make them feel awful.
It’s tough when you want what the Lord has for you, and you struggle in trying to keep up with Him and please Him. You want to do the right thing, but then you have your earthly desires and your fleshly desires that compete with His desires. Sometimes I get a panic in my heart that I’m going to miss my ship or His calling in my life, because I want this stuff that gets in the way of my relationship with Him.
I actually had a dream about a month or so ago about missing my ship. In the dream I jumped off this ship to catch another ship that I firmly believed I belonged in. But once I was in the water swimming, a bunch of whales popped up in front of me. As I was trying to swim around this one whale, I got scared when he looked to his side to block me. My hesitation to swim passed him caused me to miss my ship. The ship went further than I could catch up, and before you know it I lost sight of it. Then the land came up before me and the water receded. I saw two people that I know in real life. I went up to them and asked them if they saw a ship and they looked at me like they didn’t know what I was talking about. Then they continued talking about what interested them. As I stood there wondering about my ship and hearing them talking I started to wake up. Then I thought to myself, “No, I’m not going to end up like them, talking about business as usual. I have something else from the Lord. I want what He has for me! I can’t miss my ship!” Ever since then I’ve been so afraid about missing my calling from the Lord.
But the Lord has shown me a wonderful thing this morning through this verse, that nothing can ever separate me from His love – nothing. This scripture kept coming to me “Nothing is going to separate me from His love. Nothing.” All I have to do is to keep talking to Him about my struggles and my desires to overcome them, and to triumph in the end. He has assured me that I will overcome, that He will take away the desires I have for these things that get in the way of my fully surrendered life to Him. He will help me. He’s the one who will overcome for me. I may have no strength of my own but He never fails. He will help me triumph.
We cannot do it. We have no strength on our own. He alone can know the innermost heart’s desires we have and the struggles we go through. He alone knows how to make us His if we keep hoping in Him. Nothing is too hard with Him. No matter what you’re going through, you must keep believing in His love for You and in His ability to save you. We could never save ourselves. If we could then we wouldn’t need Him to die at the cross for our sins. But because we do need a Savior, He has come to down to give His life for us. And with his death and resurrection comes the power to belong to Him forever and ever. Through Him we will triumph if we keep hoping and trusting in Him.
I have to remember this. After all, the glory belongs to Jesus. He gets all the glory in my life if I overcome. So more than anything He wants me to overcome. But the key is in talking to Him. That’s all I have to do. Keep talking to Him about my struggles, my desires to love Him and obey Him and to overcome for His glory. I will also thank Him for what He’s about to do in my life. Even when I still don’t see the results I am looking for, I am going to thank Him anyway, because the Bible states that the just shall live by faith. We must walk by faith and not by sight. The Lord said that all things are possible to those that believe. The scripture states that if I have faith and continue to seek Him, He is going to reward me. I want my life to glorify His name. I want to keep my eyes set on Him because I know He will never fail. I know that His thoughts concerning me are good and not evil. He is able to keep me and bring me to a good and expected end. Nothing can ever separate me from His love. Nothing.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” {Jeremiah 29:11}
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” {Luke 1:37}
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” {Hebrews 10:38}
“For we walk by faith, not by sight:” {2 Corinthians 5:7}
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” {Mark 9:23}
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. {John 16:33}
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank You Father, for Your great love for me. I thank You that You never ever change. You remain the same yesterday, today and forever. I love You so much Lord Jesus. I am so glad and thankful You are my God.
I pray Father, for more faith in Your great love for me. Help me to keep coming to You no matter what happens, no matter how many times I slip and fall and blunder through my way in this life. You will not ever fail me. You will not ever forsake me. I pray for more faith in You. You are my God and You are my strength, I hope in Your word and in Your promises everyday. I pray Your will and Your plans regarding me to happen in my life. I pray this Father, in Your most wonderful and precious name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
Image by Rick Brown from Pixabay
Rp5/2017
