GOD'S EVERLASTING LOVE "For I am persuaded that neither . . . life . . . shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." – Tomorrow:
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 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 created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39, NKJV)
It is possible for LIFE to become a burden. Our lives are frail and uncertain, and it is possible for that circumstance of uncertainty to bear down upon the individual with remarkable weight. As it is written, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:14). It passes "swifter than a weaver's shuttle" (Job 7;6), being "of few days, and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). David said his life was "as an handbreadth" (Psa 39:5). Notwithstanding, the brevity and uncertainty of life, however burdensome those realties may seem, if we will live by faith, life with all of its uncertainties is not capable of separating us from the love of God.
Sometimes LIFE can be spent under the oppression of the enemy, like Israel in Egyptian bondage (Ex 1:14), or Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Sometimes it can be lived amidst the hatred of your own brothers, like Joseph (Gen 37:8), or in a prison with fetters hurting your feet (Psa 105:17-19). Life can be lived "in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth" (Heb 11:38). A lifetime can be filled with hardship, living as a beggar full of sores (Lk 16:20-21,25). Those who imagine that faith guarantees a pleasant life without hardship, do well to give heed to the Scriptural record of those who had no such life. Notwithstanding, if we will seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, a life filled with the most grievous oppression is not capable of separating us from the love of God.
Life is not always fraught with hardship. Sometimes the Lord grants "rest" and comfort in the Holy Spirit, relieving men of stress and trouble (Acts 9:31). He can cause our enemies to be at peace with us (Prov 16:7), while we "dwell safely in the land" (Lev 26:5). Sometimes people move away from the Lord during these peaceful times (Lk 12:19). Speaking of such a man Jesus said, "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Lk 12:19–21). It is possible to "be full, and deny" the Lord (Prov 30:8). While a life free from hardship and filled with plenty is much to be desired, such a life has proved to be the downfall of many souls. Notwithstanding that circumstance, an untroubled life cannot of itself separate us from the love of God.
Life, with all of its sundry obligations and environments can also be filled with competing duties. Many of these things, of themselves, are not wrong. Family life, earning a living, obtaining an education, maintaining property – these are not wrong of themselves. However, when they are given undue emphasis, and the weightier matters of the soul are neglected, they pull on into a stream that is rushing toward perdition. Many a naive soul, unaware of the power of distraction, has given more attention to their family than to their soul. They have been more devoted their jobs than to their salvation. They have been more eager for learning things than for knowing God. They have spent more time accumulating the perishing things of this world than in gathering fruit unto life everlasting (John 4:36). However, if we will walk in the Spirit, even life with obligations will not separate us from the love of God.
Life is also filled with distractions – things that draw upon the heart and mind, luring us away from the Lord who bought us, and His Word that sustains us. Especially in the Western world, we live in an intensely competitive environment. There are all manner of distractions that call for our attention – an extended amount of attention. They range from riches to fame, athletics to entertainment, and music to various hobbies. Radio, television, career opportunities, and get-rich-quick scams call out to us. We hear the call of the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes in the store windows, in the newspaper, and on signboards. We hear it in the music of the day, and behold it in the manners of the people. Jesus summarized all of these distracting influences in His poignant words concerning those in whom the Word produces no fruit: "when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection" (Luke 8:14). Thus our Lord warned, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares" (Lk 21:34). Nevertheless, if a person will live by faith when unwillingly confronted with these distracting influences, life has no power to separate such a one from the love of God.
Whether life is lived in the crucible of difficulty, or in the domain of comfort and ease, life itself cannot separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Life itself does not have separating power. Therefore, whatever our lot in life, let faith be strong and unwavering, living by faith and walking in he Spirit.
Here also we learn that Satan will work consistently to sever us from the love of God in the normalities of life as well as its difficulties and distractions. He will do all within his power to cause life to obscure the love of God. He will foster bitterness and fear, or self-confidence and forgetfulness while we live in this present evil world. His EFFORTS, however, have no power to separate us from the love of God in life's experiences. His diabolical efforts can only affect us if we fail to resist him, steadfast in the faith (1 Pet 5:8-9).
Whatever may be withheld from us in life, the love of God will not be included in that exclusion for those who live by faith.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ that life, with all of its challenges and complexities, cannot deprive me of Your great love.