In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Rom 8:37

Many things come and go throughout our lives. Things wear out, run out, out-grow, fade away and fail over time.  Very few things last the test of time. We live in a replacement culture where the idea that new is better, where things aren’t meant to last, and when they fail, replace it for a newer model with improved options. This cultural belief impacts the view American society has toward relationships and the way they are managed and maintained. There is the idea that if something doesn’t make you happy or if it’s a problem, get rid of it, replace it. This idea has somehow crept into some Christian beliefs. There is a thought that “when things go wrong in my life, God must be displeased with me. Therefore, I feel rejected.” Can this be? The scripture passage is a response to the question “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom 8:35). The Apostle interrogated the question and carefully tested the extremities of all conditions that impacted life, living, and the love of God. He interrogated the existence of things in “death and life,” any created intelligences “Angels, principalities, and powers,” the extremes of time “things present, things to come,” things of space “height and depth” finally, anything in the created universe, “any other creature.” His comprehensive, exhaustive interrogation concluded “Nay.” Nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:39). Dear friend, God loves you with His eternal love. We should not misjudge and mistrust the Love of God our Father, and think that our distresses and sufferings, our sins and failures, may make Him love us less. In fact, we can know that death and pain, disease and sorrow, sin and failure, “in all these things” bind us closer to the love of God. “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” It is the love of God from the heart of Jesus that “never fails” (1 Cor 13:8) and loves for all eternity. Father thank You for Your undivided, inseparable, all sufficient love. I praise You and adore You in the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.

And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. 2 Thess 3:5

We all want to be encouraged. Encouragement is needed when we feel we are at the end of our rope, or our backs are up against the wall. There are times in everyone’s life when we feel helpless and like we just want to give up. It is in times like these that we most need encouragement. Encouragement is what lifts our hearts and strengthens one’s belief to not give up but preserve and press on. The scripture passage is a prayer of encouragement. The Apostle loved the local church and fervently prayed for them. He understood the troubles, trials, and difficulties they faced due to their faith and work to spread the gospel. He understood that in troubled times, when opposition is greatest, and the enemy is in full assault, that believers’ hearts are most vulnerable and begin to faint. It is in these times that believers fade into selfishness and fall into despair. These are the times when the child of God needs “the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.” These are the times when we most need strength and encouragement in the love of God to remind us that we are forgiven and not forsaken. God knows His children need of grace-filled reminders, and we are called to encourage our brethren until the return of Jesus Christ (Heb. 3:13). And finally, dearly beloved, the source of our strength to gain and give encouragement is in the word of God. The word of God encourages the believer “into the patient waiting for Christ” and the Holy Spirit empowers us to lift one another toward the Lord in brotherly love (Col 4:8). My friend, be encouraged in the salvation of the Lord and in His love. For in God’s love, we are secured and strengthened. And in His word, we grow in Christ’s patience that encourages us and enables us to face our daily trials and troubles, problems, and difficulties, to live victoriously until His soon return that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37). Father thank You for Your love and the strength of Your word. By Your grace, direct my heart and strengthen my faith that I may be an encourager to my brethren. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.