Peace: Day 21
Nothing Can Separate Us From The Love of God
By Donna Moran
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 NIV
Heaven is the ultimate in joy, peace, contentment, and love. But do we have to wait until we pass away to experience it? Or can we experience heaven in our everyday moments?
Remember the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32); his shame and his feelings of unworthiness? We have all experienced a similar depth of despair, albeit in different ways. We have experienced hard financial times, the loss of a friend or family member, or a difficult family life. Are we alone and on our own during these times? Or can we trust God?
Scripture tells us that, “nothing can separate us from the love of God.” In Romans 8:38-39, we are given both sides of a number of situations: death and life, angels and demons, present and future, height and depth. These verses are all-inclusive and all-encompassing. During our trudge through the lowest valleys of our life, God is still as close to us as when we are walking on the mountain top.
If we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have received the Holy Spirit to live in us. Along with His presence comes the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These are all the result of the Holy Spirit working in our life. They are reflections of His presence in us; heaven in us. This means nothing can separate us from the love of God, shown to us in Jesus and made manifest in the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.
May this precious promise of God’s love be a comfort to you in whatever situation you may find yourself in.
Pray
Precious Jesus, thank You for leaving the right hand of God and coming down to earth to live, walk, teach, and die for us. Thank You that, no matter what, You are always with us and nothing will ever separate us from You. Holy Spirit, come and fall fresh on us. Fill us with your gifts so we experience heaven here so we can also bring heaven to those around us who feel separated from You. Show us and lead us, Father, in what You have planned for us this day. Amen.
Act
Invite your friend, co-worker or family member to one of the church’s Christmas Eve services.
Gather a few friends this weekend and go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood.
Family Application
Have a “baby food” picnic or snack by the Christmas tree with Baby Bel cheese, baby carrots, mini pigs in a blanket, mini muffins or some other snack food and talk about the baby Jesus. Ask questions like, “What do you think it was like to be a baby born in a stable?” and, “What do you think the shepherds said or thought when they saw the baby Jesus?”