WATCHWORD:
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:33-39
Meditation:
More than Conquerors?
Question: If Christ died for us, then what in the whole world can make us doubt God’s love for us? Let us be clear about this, the Love of God is not something we can purchase in a Christian bookstore, maybe on the “Sale” table.
Another question: What did you do to become a Christian? Was it your baptism? Was it your prayer surrendering your life to Jesus Christ? Was it the tithing, the service within the church or community? What did you do that made you a Christian?
One of the truly underrated questions for Christians is “What Would Jesus Do?” Asking that question each moment of each day and doing it. Would that make you a Christian? How good do we need to be to be Christians?
Trick questions, all. Some are helpful, true, and could make a difference in the way we live our lives. No question about that. But, would the all the “right” answers make you a Christian?
Karl Barth, in his Epistle to the Romans, writes, “Rightly understood, there are not Christians; there is only the eternal opportunity of becoming Christian – an opportunity at once accessible and inaccessible to all people.”
I am sorry Mr. Barth, but that just goes right over my head. Are you saying that everyone has the opportunity, the eternal opportunity, of becoming Christian? Of being loved by God? No conditions? No rules to follow? If that is a “Yes”, then can any possible circumstance alter the love of Christ, or alter the love of God in Christ to us?
There are many who doubt the love of Christ unless they, in some way, continue to deserve it. The serve their fannies off to the point of exhaustion, seeking to earn God’s love? Reaching out to others. delivering meals, always answering the call. It seems they treat being a Christian as a very heavy lift.
We who are in Christ Jesus know that neither the works we did, or do, or shall do earns God’s love. The Spirit of God does not set before us what we deserve. What He sets before us is beautiful and simple: He sets Christ before us, Christ that died for us, in forgiveness of our sins; past, present and future. Put a period there.
Can’t you just hear Satan, you know the one that deceived Eve, whispering: “That may be true if you never sin after your conversion, but if any man who is a Christian should sin, then surely that sin will separate him from the love of Christ.” Sorry, Satan, God’s love does not work that way, and for that reason we pray our thankfulness to God, for his continuing, undeserved Love. Which makes us more than Conquerors! Amen.
Merton’s Quotes on Love:
“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.”
“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.”
“Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved. It leaves all the other secondary effects to take care of themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward.”
Prayer of Gratitude:
God help us to always look to the many things for which we can be grateful – even in the midst of times of loss. Let us enjoy the peace that comes with having a grateful heart. The Bible tells us that it will rain on the just and the unjust, but there is always something to thank you for, God. Teach us to make the choice to think on those things, so that we may always have a thankful heart. Amen
