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.
Paul uses
rhetorical language. He asks questions and wants the reader to answer each one
– instead of saying “no one shall
separate us.” Instead he says “who?” Satan, unbelieving family,
drugs, illness, money…?
He employs a
list of what was referred to as ‘virtues/vices, “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…”
Why does God not
take away all of our afflictions? Even Paul dealt with this question.
2 Corinthians
12:7-10
To keep me from becoming conceited because
of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my
flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with
the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I
will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may
rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight
in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong.
Interview
Melissa about her faith and living with MS
When we talk
about speed bumps and look at any prayer list, we tend to think about physical
bumps in our road. Some are temporary, some are long term and some are permanent. Scripture speaks to how we are to view our
bodies in relation to speed bumps.
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer
to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good,
pleasing and perfect will. Ken
Medema, Nick Vujicic.
Maureen
Pratt said, “When placed alongside health
challenges, faith becomes a sturdy support for us when we are most alone.
Praying during that long test in the hospital, reading scripture while waiting
in the doctor’s office, listening to an uplifting song just after a terrible
diagnosis – these and other things are an outpouring from our personal faith
and also things we share with our fellow brothers and sisters of faith.”
2 Corinthians
4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though
outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For
our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that
far outweighs them all. So we fix
our eyes not on what is seen, but on
what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Again reminding
us that what happens now is temporary.
Ecclesiastes
3:11-14
He has made everything beautiful in its
time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done
from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to
be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find
satisfaction in all his toil — this is the gift of God.
Dorothy Hirai –
“Not that bad” – living in light of eternity.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Trouble
(what
troubles do you have?) Hardship (what hardships do you
have?) persecution (what persecutions do you
have?) famine (what is a famine in your
life – what do you have to go without?) nakedness (what
nakedness do you have?) danger (what
danger do you have?) sword (what
sword is raised against you?)? 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. Can you confidently
say verse 38 & 9 For I am convinced that neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
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