July 11, 2018

Love So Deep It's Inescapable—And That's a Good Thing!

Romans 8:35–39

Brandt Coffey
Wednesday's Devo

July 11, 2018

Wednesday's Devo

July 11, 2018

Central Truth

God is very clear about the saving power and eternal security found in the blood of Jesus Christ—there's no ambiguity. He who "first loved us" has said that those who have faith in Him will never be taken away from Him, and He will not be taken from them.

Romans 8:35–39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded 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 sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.

Dive Deeper | Romans 8:35–39

Now, I've never steered a ship or worked in a true "job" environment, but I've done my share of school projects, and I assume that the latter is a glimpse into the former. In all of them, there's a community of people working toward a shared goal. There is also a leader—one who guides the others by example—who helps everyone else know the value of the part they play, whatever that might be. 

I start off with this because community, the leader, and our shared value are key points in the conversation that God is having with us through this passage. He is the leader of our lives, and when we accept this and trust in Him, there is no more ambiguity about where we should go or what we should be doing because He knows exactly where we need to be to prosper. When we accept Jesus as Lord and gather in community with fellow believers, God's promises become more evident in our lives because we are constantly reminded of them by the physical presence of those in community with us. As we give God more control of our lives, we realize our value is clearly in the saving power of Jesus' blood. And His blood is the evidence that God loves us unconditionally, even when we don't deserve it. God gives us hope through His Son Jesus' resurrection because if He can defeat death, then what power has "distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger" (verse 35) over Him who gives us life, and life abundantly? 

The writer of this passage, the apostle Paul, has a clear stance for anyone who questions God's promise to "not leave [us] or forsake [us]" (Deuteronomy 31:6). I like the NIV translation of Romans 8:38 because it says Paul was "convinced" nothing could separate us from God's love. We likewise should be convinced that the God Paul is describing in Romans has the same love for us now. For in light of the truth of Romans 8:38-39, what can possibly "separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"? 

This month's memory verse

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

– Romans 7:24–25

Discussion Questions

1. Take some time away from your daily schedule to be introspective. What's the root cause (a hurt, a belief, an insecurity, etc.) holding you back from fully believing that God is true to His Word when He says that He loves you and that no matter what you do, you can never add or take away from His love for you?

2. Get in the habit of reading your Bible, not with the intention or hope that you'll have a great revelation (or "I-get-it-now" moment) every time you open it, but instead with the idea that you're having a conversation with God, and this is your time and opportunity to listen to Him. What does God want to do in and with your life for your growth and His glory as you allow the Holy Spirit to take control of your life? 

3. Connect with other believers who will guide and encourage you as you learn more about God's love for you. Ask them questions; be vulnerable with them. You will find that it's much easier to remember His Word and stand firm in the fact that God truly loves you, and that nothing can take away His love for you when you are surrounded by others who are continually reminding one another of the truth of the gospel.