I’ve watched people over the years who are devoted followers of Jesus face incredible difficulties… The rejection of former friends, the unfaithfulness of a spouse, children who have rejected the faith of their parents and are far from God, false accusation, persecution at work, unemployment, failure of a business they had poured their efforts into, loss of health, home, possessions or savings… and I’ve seen the toll it takes upon them personally. Some of these things (or others) may have happened to you and the impact on your self-concept has been devastating…
This morning I read Romans 8:31-39 … great spiritual medicine for those who have experienced things like that and are struggling a bit with their sense of self-worth…
“If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one! For Christ Jesus … is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 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? 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.” (Taken from the New Living Translation)
My advice if you’ve been through all kinds of things that have left you shaken and wondering about God’s unconditional love and your self-worth? Read this passage over, and over, and over again!! Read it slowly! Read it prayerfully! Pray it! Praise it! Proclaim it! Do it until the truth of it dawns upon you deep within!!
Coffee With The Lord 