Romans 8:35a. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ?
Ah friends, it’s been a rough morning…I was bushwhacked by an oppressive early morning sleep, (smile) just couldn’t get up though I wanted and tried to. Yuk know how sleep can be very determined at times. And it wasn’t because I went to bed late. In fact, I went to bed pretty early – by my standards. And then the dream…oh the dream! A big open grassland with a band stand and several bands playing beautiful music! Wow! Again, I wanted to leave but couldn’t because the music was so sweet and scintillating! Brother! Was it ever hard to get up…
But now I’m up and listening to some worship music, reminding me that there is a God, and He is alive, in Him we live and in Him we breathe. He is the Great I AM! And because He is the Great I AM, this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, is ever so appropriate, especially for these turbulent times in which we’re currently living. And it’s a poem that I can’t ever remember sharing. It’s titled ‘Romans 8 —to Me.’
So please pray with me: ‘God I may fall flat on my face I may fail until I feel Old and beaten and done in Yet Your LOVE for me is changeless. All the music may go out of my life My private world may shatter to dust Even so You will hold me In the palm of Your steady hand. No turn in the affairs Of my fractured life Can baffle You. Satan with all his braggadocio Cannot distract You
Nothing can separate me From Your measureless LOVE. Pain can’t Disappointment can’t anguish can’t. Yesterday, today, tomorrow can’t. The loss of my dearest LOVE can’t. Death can’t. Life can’t. Riots war insanity unidentiy Hunger neurosis disease — None of these things Nor all of them heaped together Can budge the fact That I am dearly LOVED. Completely forgiven and forever free Through Jesus Christ Your beloved Son.’
Oh mih bredrin, how great is that eh! I would say it’s amazing, awesome, without precedent and can’t ever be bettered! So why do so many of us refuse to truly and sincerely believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of the Great I AM eh? Yes friends, there is a God, who is alive, in Him we breathe, and we’ll survive. But we have to come to Him in true surrender and humility.
He’s already done His part in the covenant with us; providing redemption and forgiveness of sins with eternal life through belief in His son, who paid our sin debt in full on the cross of Calvary. It’s now our turn to keep the covenant by coming to him and accepting the free gift of grace and salvation that Jesus earned for us with His selfless sacrifice, showing both His and the Father’s great and overwhelming LOVE for us.
And the scripture promise for our poem is none other than Bruh Paul’s mighty acknowledgement to the church at Rome. ‘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 thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
Oh Mama, Mama! What a powerful and oh so true discourse! NOTHING can separate us from our heavenly Father and Christ Jesus! Once we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour and are sealed by the Holy Spirit as His follower, as His co-heir in the Father’s will, the only person or thing that can break that bond is we ourselves! And why would we ever want to do that eh, after all the wonderful guarantees we have from our ever-faithful God.
Hear Bruh Paul tell it to the church at Corinth and consequently to us and all creation. ‘Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (trumpet): for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour will not be in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:51-58)
Yes, my fellow saints in Christ, accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour is a no-brainer! Just look at all the great and faithful promises nuh – too numerous to mention! But that’s why the Lord gave us free will, the opportunity to choose between Him and Satan; to spend eternity with Him in the wonderful place called heaven, or with Satan in the fiery dungeons of hell. The choice is left up to each individual, so hopefully ALL of us will make the right one. All anybody can do is give us advice, we have to make the final decision for ourselves. Please make the sensible one and choose Jesus.
And for those of us who have already made that marvellous and wise decision, let’s go home now declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our amazing and most awesome position in Christ Jesus! So altogether now in strong voice and humble confidence: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And here’s another li’l secret; (smile) if we endure to the end, that future with Christ will be even more glorious that we can ever ask or imagine. That’s how wonderful it will be my people! So let’s keep on keeping on nuh, though the row be tough to hoe! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus…there is no death…only eternal life…who…in their right minds…wouldn’t want that eh…
SCRIP-BITS 