His Encouragement #260

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Welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.

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For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 ESV

The other morning, Romans 8:38-39 was part of my daily Bible study, and for some reason I really paid attention to the words: those words paired and those words singled out. I found myself pondering the ideas behind each word pair or singleton as it pertains to God’s love. This post is my attempt to put some of my thoughts about Romans 8:38-39 into order.

Death and Life are two states of existence. But if you believe in God, then Death and Life are technically the same. They are just two different planes of existence. If you believe in God, then He is with you in Life and in Death. So, Paul is correct. Neither one of these planes of existence can keep God’s love from us if you believe in God.

The next pairing is Angels and Rulers. What an odd pairing. At least, I find it an odd pairing. Why would Paul pair these two ideas? I think it is because both beings — angels and rulers — have more power than the typical human. Angels have power in the spiritual realm, and rulers have power in the earthly realm. Power means that someone or something has the right to govern or determine. The right — who gives these angels and people the right to rule? God. God puts everyone and every thing in its proper place according to His plan. So, if God sets angels and rulers up with power, then God is in control. And since God is in control, then none of these entities can separate us from the One who put them in their positions. In this, God’s love is still constant and unbreakable.

Next up is Things Present and Things to Come. Again, God is in control of EVERYTHING. He is the Plan-Maker. He is in total control over everything that is happening in this moment, and He is in control over all the things that will happen in the future. Because God is the Plan-Maker, we have nothing to fear. No thing present or future will ever be able to take us away from God’s love because God has planned everything and will plan everything. God is in control.

Paul mentions Power next, but I feel like it is a tad redundant as it goes hand-in-hand with Angels and Rulers. But, again, power in any form comes from God, so it can’t keep us from God or His love.

The next word pair is Height and Depth. Creation -‬ from the deepest depths of the oceans to the highest tops of every mountain – was made by God. He knows every valley, crevasse, meadow, tree, boulder, etc., on this earth. There is literally no place we can hide from God. Because of this, there is literally no place we can hide from God’s love, either. God’s love is everywhere.

Paul ends his list with the fact that there is absolutely NOTHING in this earth, on this earth, or in the spiritual realm that could keep God’s love from reaching us. God’s love is present and constant and faithful, and that is what Paul is trying to get at in Romans 8. This is the MOST comforting thing ever. God’s love is ALWAYS. All we have to do is accept it. And that is such a beautiful gift!

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NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN!

WHAT BIBLICAL VERSE IS ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY?