ODJ: life and love

October 9, 2014 

READ: Romans 8:31-39 

Neither death nor life . . . can separate us from God’s love (v.38).

Life can be difficult. At times, burdens, disappointments and uncertainties can seem too difficult to bear. Poet Annie Johnson Flint poignantly captured the struggles of life in her poem “One Day at a Time”:

One day at a time with its failures and fears,
With its hurts and mistakes, with it weakness and tears,
With its portion of pain and its burden of care.
One day at a time we must meet and must bear.
One day at a time to be patient and strong,
To be calm under trial and sweet under wrong.
Then its toiling shall pass and its sorrow shall cease,
It shall darken and die, and the night shall bring peace.
One day at a time—but the day is so long,
And the heart is not brave, and the soul is not strong.

Thankfully, as believers in Jesus, we have every reason to be optimistic amid life’s storms. For nothing can cause Jesus to stop loving us (Romans 8:31-39). Just think about it:

Can anything separate us from the love of God? No, not even the greatest of separators—death. For God walks through the valley of death with us, and when we walk through death’s door, we enter into everlasting life with Him.

Can our fears for today and our worries for tomorrow separate us from God’s love? No, God loves us with an “unfailing love” (Jeremiah 31:3). His love stands when all else fails.

Can the powers of hell drive a wedge between Christ’s love and us? No, not even the enemies of our soul can cause God to love us less.

In Romans 8, God is saying, “I’ve made up My mind. I can’t stop loving you. I’m for you. I’ll provide for you. I’m your advocate. I’ll give you overwhelming victory.” Yes, life can be difficult, but we are secure in Him. —Poh Fang Chia

365-day plan› Acts 2:41-3:11

MORE
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 for the adjectives of love. That’s how much God loves you. 
NEXT
How has God shown you that He loves you? How does knowing that nothing can separate you from God’s love give you strength to face the trials of today and the worries of tomorrow?