The Ultimate Encouragement
February 6, 2019
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32 NIV
Paul was always a realist. He realistically looked at the enemies and obstacles, and then realistically looked at his God. When he wrote the magnificent letter of Romans to his friends in Rome, he knew they were in the power center of both a political and religious center that didn’t understand them. What we don’t understand, we usually fear. That was true in Rome.
Then, he also was realistic about the fact that they had the ultimate enemy, Satan. He is totally evil and unscrupulous and will use anyone and anything to defeat and discourage us. If he didn’t know who God was, and that God was FOR them, it would have been completely overwhelming.
But Paul pointed to the proof of God’s incredible power and love and said, “With Him on our side, how can we lose?” Then he recounts the specific kinds of attacks that have come against him, and he says, “Because of God, we win!” Check it out:
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? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 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. Romans 8:35-39 NLT
If God is FOR us, (and He is!), who and what has a chance against us? No one. Nothing. Praise be to God.
- Share a time of thanksgiving, encouraging yourself in the Lord.