Romans 8:38-39. 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What a powerful statement of faith from Bruh Paul, my Friends! There’s no doubting his strong commitment to Christ. Not many of us can claim that level of faith, but it’s a goal to which we can all aspire. But remember that Bruh Paul was an extraordinary man in an extraordinary time, whose passion for Christ, after his conversion, verged on the insatiable, the fanatical. Very few of us will ever attain his level of faith, for the Lord gave us all different levels of intensity, but it’s a perfect example to hold, and look to for inspiration when our own faith is taxed, and we feel it slowly ebbing away, like the tide on the seashore. Then it can work as a good pick me up, solid encouragement. How can we not be encouraged eh, after considering all the negative stuff Bruh Paul experienced in his walk of faith; the beatings, imprisonment, shipwreck etc. And yet his enthusiasm, his passion and LOVE for Christ never waned. Instead, it seems to have waxed stronger with every tribulation he faced. In Vs.35, he gutsily asks. ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?’ And confidently answers in Vs.37. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.’ Wow! What a belief in Christ, especially for a man who spent his early years rabidly persecuting believers. It shows the power our God commands, when he touches someone’s life. We all can’t be brave and steadfast, like Bruh Paul, in the face of what I term ‘adverse adversity’, but we can all be a bit stronger than we are. The soft life we now live; no cutting wood, toting water, working the garden, milking the cows, feeding the other animals, walking to and from school, all these things that instilled some sense of responsibility and commitment, that built grit, perseverance and backbone in us, have sadly disappeared from our increasingly lazy, technological world. Oh people, this soft living has stolen our gumption and ‘stick-to-itiveness.’ We’ve lost our belly, have no backbone, and usually give up at the first sign of adversity. But Friends, we’re not supposed to quit so quickly, even if there are good grounds to do so. Jesus had plenty good grounds to quit, but He didn’t. And hear what Bruh Paul says: neither death, life, angels, principalities, powers, present or future things, height, depth, or any creature at all, should separate us from God. Granted, not all of us have been endowed with that martyr’s mindset, but all of us can do much better than we’re currently doing. Oh Friends, instead of always looking for the easy way, let’s commit ourselves to standing a bit stronger each day for Christ nuh. He died an ugly death on a wooden cross to redeem our sinful souls. The first Christians also suffered much, so that the message, the Word, could live, breathe and survive for us. It’s now our turn to do the same; stand strong and ensure the survival of the Word. Please, I implore us to let nothing ‘separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Much LOVE!…for the Word to survive… we must fight the good fight of faith…clothed in our spiritual armour…
What a powerful statement of faith from Bruh Paul, my Friends! There’s no doubting his strong commitment to Christ. Not many of us can claim that level of faith, but it’s a goal to which we can all aspire. But remember that Bruh Paul was an extraordinary man in an extraordinary time, whose passion for Christ, after his conversion, verged on the insatiable, the fanatical. Very few of us will ever attain his level of faith, for the Lord gave us all different levels of intensity, but it’s a perfect example to hold, and look to for inspiration when our own faith is taxed, and we feel it slowly ebbing away, like the tide on the seashore. Then it can work as a good pick me up, solid encouragement. How can we not be encouraged eh, after considering all the negative stuff Bruh Paul experienced in his walk of faith; the beatings, imprisonment, shipwreck etc. And yet his enthusiasm, his passion and LOVE for Christ never waned. Instead, it seems to have waxed stronger with every tribulation he faced. In Vs.35, he gutsily asks. ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?’ And confidently answers in Vs.37. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.’ Wow! What a belief in Christ, especially for a man who spent his early years rabidly persecuting believers. It shows the power our God commands, when he touches someone’s life. We all can’t be brave and steadfast, like Bruh Paul, in the face of what I term ‘adverse adversity’, but we can all be a bit stronger than we are. The soft life we now live; no cutting wood, toting water, working the garden, milking the cows, feeding the other animals, walking to and from school, all these things that instilled some sense of responsibility and commitment, that built grit, perseverance and backbone in us, have sadly disappeared from our increasingly lazy, technological world. Oh people, this soft living has stolen our gumption and ‘stick-to-itiveness.’ We’ve lost our belly, have no backbone, and usually give up at the first sign of adversity. But Friends, we’re not supposed to quit so quickly, even if there are good grounds to do so. Jesus had plenty good grounds to quit, but He didn’t. And hear what Bruh Paul says: neither death, life, angels, principalities, powers, present or future things, height, depth, or any creature at all, should separate us from God. Granted, not all of us have been endowed with that martyr’s mindset, but all of us can do much better than we’re currently doing. Oh Friends, instead of always looking for the easy way, let’s commit ourselves to standing a bit stronger each day for Christ nuh. He died an ugly death on a wooden cross to redeem our sinful souls. The first Christians also suffered much, so that the message, the Word, could live, breathe and survive for us. It’s now our turn to do the same; stand strong and ensure the survival of the Word. Please, I implore us to let nothing ‘separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Much LOVE!…for the Word to survive… we must fight the good fight of faith…clothed in our spiritual armour…
SCRIP-BITS 