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Morning Thoughts |
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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." This morning, with all the "doom and gloom" bubbling around us in the present tumultuous climate, there should be times of reflection for the child of God to pause from the goings of life to consider the majesty of the Lord and His work. While we must work and labour in the Lord's vineyard and kingdom, He has given us opportunity to lie down in green pastures, drink from still waters, and sup with Him while in our desert of life. Truly, a day in His courts in this fashion is better than a thousand of the most productive in the world. Failure to reflect upon His goodness leads to discouragement (one of Satan's favorite ploys), but faithful seasons of this reflection yields the increased vigor of strength to press forward with the knowledge that come what may, we are safe, secure, and forever held in the arms of His love. The thought here does not scratch the bone of laziness, but rather, it ignites the members to renewed motion of labour to Him. The thought from Paul's lesson here is nothing short of "shouting ground" for the weak or strong child of the King. Whether someone is young in the faith, old in the faith, or somewhere in between, this message never loses its strength. It never diminishes in its glory, and thankfully, the power espoused in its teaching will never cease whether in this world or the world to come. Paul is putting the finishing touches on the most elegant portrait of eternal security that the pages of Scripture contain. Whatever life may hold, it is not worthy to be compared to God's love. Whatever Satan and all of his forces may conjure or put in motion, they wilt in the light of His Son. Can anyone doubt Paul's sincerity or personal attachment to this thought? He was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He would also perform. He was just as fully persuaded that nothing compares with His power, and therefore, nothing could ever thwart His purpose. The list that Paul engaged actually precedes our verses of thought, but these last few items on the list are the most comprehensive of the bunch as they actually cover many of the preceding items on the list. Whether someone desires to look at earthly kingdoms (principalities and powers), the vast expanse of natural dimension (height and depth), supernatural beings (angels), our worst fear (death), the pitfalls here (life), things yet to come or currently enduring (future and present), none of these things moved Paul from the thought of God's love overarching all of them. God's love supersedes all earthly thoughts. His love extends farther and further than any other endeavor the world has ever seen. Finally, Paul (under the infinite wisdom of the Holy Ghost) puts the last touch on the list. No matter how specifically comprehensive a list man could muster, there is always some shady individual looking for a loophole to say that something was left out. Nor any other creature takes the list and expands it to include everything but God Himself. Since there is but one Creator with none like Him, knowing the end from the beginning, and able to declare things that are not (yet future) as though they were (in the past), everything else short of Him falls into the category of a creature. No creature can overturn this great love He has for His chosen. No one can look at Paul's thought and say, "Something can separate us that is not on his list." Satan cannot do it, his angels cannot do it, worldly powers cannot do it, and dear friends we cannot do it either. Should it be the case that God gave me the opportunity to live with Him (with the implication being that I could succeed or fail), then I, as a creature, could separate my own self from His love. Paul emphatically states with the last stroke of his brush that we cannot even do it ourselves. Our poorest choices here and our worst shortcomings in life are not even worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as His boundless love to us and for us. Consider all the far-reaching applications we could find here. The kingdoms of men can only reach as far as their might can push the border. An earthly king, desirous of expanding his territory must use force, diplomacy, or some other measure to extend his reach. They cannot reach where God's love can. Man's efforts in preaching the gospel can only go as far as the strength of the man doing the work, but God's love extends where the gospel has never been sounded. Man's own works (good and bad) in this life cannot extend beyond the grave. Death ends our toils and labours, but God's love extends beyond the grave to a place that knows no death. Time that is past cannot be gathered up again, and time that is yet coming is something that we have not the ability to control. Yet, God's love transcends time to reach all of the intended objects with surety no matter the time or circumstance. Put anything next to God's love, and God's love shines supreme. The most brilliant display of God's love that the world has ever or will ever see is in the Person of Jesus Christ the Lord. When He descended from heaven, that is the greatest condescension to men of low estate that will ever transpire. When He laid down His life, the Just for the unjust, that is the greatest act of love, mercy, and grace that can never be duplicated. As He ascended from the grave, that is the greatest comfort of the verification of God's love and proof of perfect atonement that could ever be imagined. Finally, as He ascended back up into glory, that is the greatest entrance of victory in the name of love than any story could ever tell, and one day, His entrance from the clouds to call us home will be the greatest manifestation of love that will ever be experienced as His jewels will all come at His command with the glorious image of Love wholly stamped upon them for all eternity. What can keep this from happening? Paul says nothing! It would be just as foolish to say that we could keep Him from dying for us (as that has already happened) as it would be to say that we can keep Him from getting us in the resurrection. Nothing stopped Him before, and nothing can stop Him in the future. Since He neither fails nor is discouraged, our failures and discouragements cannot keep Him from us. Thankfully, His love was for the unlovable. Our thanks is not that we are sinners, but our thanks is that He loved and saved sinners. What greater thought could we have here? There is comfort in knowing that He will gather up that which is His. There is comfort in knowing that our own failures do not keep Him from us, and ultimately, there is comfort in knowing that everything we see is fading and but for a moment. Compared to His love, its fullness, and scope, our lives here are but a drop of a bucket. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, height, depth, and length of God's love. (Ephesians 3:17-19) His love is so broad that it compasses a race of people (His elect) that is as innumerable as the stars of heaven for multitude. This breadth covers the vilest of sinners, blackened by iniquity, but ultimately clothed in the brightness and beauty of His Son. His love is so high that He left heaven to descend to earth for us. This height is so great that it is the distance between our thoughts and ways and His thoughts and ways. (Isaiah 55:10) His love is so deep that He went into the horrible pit and miry clay to get us. (Psalm 40:2) This depth means that He was made to be sin for us and bear the justice of Almighty God in our room and stead. (II Corinthians 5:21) Finally, His love is so long that it lasts forever and through all eternity. This length is so great that our tongues cannot utter a measurement to the span as time-bound creatures have not the language to describe never-ending bliss, joy, happiness, and love. Yet, this is God's love, and nothing can ever change it. Now, what in that could possibly engage the laziness of the flesh, but how great is the motivation in all of that to stir the spirit by way of remembrance to show how great things He has done for us?  In Hope, Bro Philip |