Romans 8:31-39 (NRSV)
It is God who justifies
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
DEVOTION
Ah! Don't you feel a HALLELUJAH PRAISE spilling out of your heart when you read today's good news scripture passage!
Isn't it beyond wonderful that there is nothing that we can do to make God stop loving us and there is nothing that we can do to make God love us more?
I am so glad that God has chosen to take complete responsibility for the unconditional love part of our relationship! Although I sin and fall short of God's glory, God still loves me. Although I sin and fail to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, God still loves me. Although I sin and fail to love God's children, God still loves me.
I have found that I can't out sin, out fox, or out run the love of God revealed to me in Christ Jesus--and neither can you!
No matter where we go, God's love will meet us. No matter how much we fail, God's love will still sustain us in the hug and smile of God.
It is Jesus, who has chosen to love us--living, dying, and living again in victory, interceding always on our behalf, ever our friend and our brother!
Because Jesus lives, we can face all of our tomorrows secure in the promise that, "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"
HALLELUJAH!
INVITATION
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