Day 205

2 Chronicles 11:1–13:22; Romans 8:26-39; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 19:27-29

IN ROMANS, PAUL continued to reveal the implications of what he has been arguing throughout the entire letter —and the breathtaking panorama we are looking at should shake and humble us.

Paul explained that Jesus was the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. This was accomplished through His resurrection (or rebirth into life). Essentially, Paul told us that Jesus’ resurrection began a new thing on planet Earth —one that hadn’t been seen since Eden. This new thing was the reunification of God and man. No longer are we separated from God by sin; rather, we have been reborn into the family of God, where sin no longer has a claim to our souls. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. If you are a believer in Jesus, then you are reading about yourself in the Bible!

Becoming truly aware of these implications is beyond words, and Paul said as much: “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?” The answer is equally unspeakable: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

“Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?” Paul wrote. “No one —for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one —for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Romans 8:33-34).

Sit with that for a few moments. Reread it. Apply it to the challenges you are facing. The truth of this changes the atmosphere. It isn’t magic. It’s not going to make the wrinkles disappear from life —but it does radically alter our perspective when we become aware of what is really going on.

The challenges we face in life often lead us to doubt about God’s heart toward us. We run away rather than run toward Him. But this is the opposite of what we must do if we want to fully enter union with God.

The essential questions that our trials bring to the surface are whether God can be trusted and whether He has abandoned us. Paul spoke directly to this age-old internal struggle with a question and answer that we must plant within the soil of our hearts:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow —not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below —indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We can add nothing to make this plainer. Paul has led us on a trek upward through Romans, and now we are standing at the summit, looking beyond the life we once led and into the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are invited forward. We must first believe it is the truth and then live accordingly. God will not abandon us —period. We have been reborn into the family of God. Our Father loves us and is absolutely committed to collaborating in our lives. But He will not force Himself upon us. We have to choose it. What are we waiting for?

MEDITATION:

If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.