I read this yesterday morning, but I thought I'd share it today.
Psalm 100
1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
with an imperative verb
Mark 16:15
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (NIV)
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. (ESV)
Then he said to them, “You must go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. (J B Phillips)
Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. (Message)
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. (NLT 1st ed.)
Jesus: Go out into the world and share the good news with all of creation. (The Voice)
There's over 50 different English translations listed on Bible Gateway.
Each one of them uses the same verb.
And each one uses it in the imperative - it's a command, with the "you" implied.
"Go"
So maybe we all should?
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (NIV)
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. (ESV)
Then he said to them, “You must go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. (J B Phillips)
Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. (Message)
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. (NLT 1st ed.)
Jesus: Go out into the world and share the good news with all of creation. (The Voice)
There's over 50 different English translations listed on Bible Gateway.
Each one of them uses the same verb.
And each one uses it in the imperative - it's a command, with the "you" implied.
"Go"
So maybe we all should?
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
CXXXIX
Sometimes, when the craziness of life & the world around us seems overwhelming, there is so much reassurance in the words of Psalm 139...
Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I'm far away.
3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can't even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me!
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I'm far away.
3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can't even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me!
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Monday, August 28, 2017
BIG stuff from Paul
BIG statement here by Paul to the followers of Jesus in Rome - brace yourself - lots of big stuff here...
Romans 12
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship him.
2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world,
but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Then you will learn to know God's will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning:
Don't think you are better than you really are.
Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves,
measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,
5 so it is with Christ's body.
We are many parts of one body,
and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.
So if God has given you the ability to prophesy,
speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
7 If your gift is serving others,
serve them well.
If you are a teacher,
teach well.
8 If your gift is to encourage others,
be encouraging.
If it is giving,
give generously.
If God has given you leadership ability,
take the responsibility seriously.
And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others,
do it gladly.
9 Don't just pretend to love others.
Really love them.
Hate what is wrong.
Hold tightly to what is good.
10 Love each other with genuine affection,
and take delight in honoring each other.
11 Never be lazy,
but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
12 Be thankful for the things God is planning for you.
Be patient in trouble,
and keep on praying.
13 When God's people are in need, be ready to help them.
Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you.
Don't curse them;
pray that God will bless them.
15 Be happy with those who are happy,
and weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with each other.
Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.
And don't think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil.
Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.
18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge.
Leave that to the righteous anger of God.
For the Scriptures say,
"I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,"
says the LORD.
20 Instead,
"If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads."
21 Don't let evil conquer you,
but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship him.
2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world,
but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Then you will learn to know God's will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning:
Don't think you are better than you really are.
Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves,
measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,
5 so it is with Christ's body.
We are many parts of one body,
and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.
So if God has given you the ability to prophesy,
speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
7 If your gift is serving others,
serve them well.
If you are a teacher,
teach well.
8 If your gift is to encourage others,
be encouraging.
If it is giving,
give generously.
If God has given you leadership ability,
take the responsibility seriously.
And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others,
do it gladly.
9 Don't just pretend to love others.
Really love them.
Hate what is wrong.
Hold tightly to what is good.
10 Love each other with genuine affection,
and take delight in honoring each other.
11 Never be lazy,
but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
12 Be thankful for the things God is planning for you.
Be patient in trouble,
and keep on praying.
13 When God's people are in need, be ready to help them.
Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you.
Don't curse them;
pray that God will bless them.
15 Be happy with those who are happy,
and weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with each other.
Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.
And don't think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil.
Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.
18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge.
Leave that to the righteous anger of God.
For the Scriptures say,
"I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,"
says the LORD.
20 Instead,
"If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads."
21 Don't let evil conquer you,
but conquer evil by doing good.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
4 words
Mark 12
28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate.
He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked,
"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29 Jesus replied,
"The most important commandment is this:
'Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.
30 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart,
all your soul,
all your mind,
and all your strength.'
31 The second is equally important:
'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
No other commandment is greater than these."
Jesus boiled it all down to 4 words...
Love God, love others.
Now THAT'S something I could have tattooed on me, somewhere.
& somewhere else put...
"Read the Bible, every day, without fail!"
28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate.
He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked,
"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29 Jesus replied,
"The most important commandment is this:
'Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.
30 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart,
all your soul,
all your mind,
and all your strength.'
31 The second is equally important:
'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
No other commandment is greater than these."
Jesus boiled it all down to 4 words...
Love God, love others.
Now THAT'S something I could have tattooed on me, somewhere.
& somewhere else put...
"Read the Bible, every day, without fail!"
Saturday, August 26, 2017
salvation & a mandate
This is Paul writing to the followers of Jesus in Rome...
But what he writes applies to us all...
He explains plainly our salvation, as well as gives an unequivocal mandate...
Romans 10
5 For Moses writes that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.
6 But faith's way of getting right with God says, "Don't say in your heart, 'Who will go up to heaven?' (to bring Christ down to earth).
7 And don't say, 'Who will go down to the place of the dead?' (to bring Christ back to life again)."
8 In fact, it says,
"The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart."*
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,
and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
11 As the Scriptures tell us,
"Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."
12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.
They have the same Lord,
who gives generously to all who call on him.
13 For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?
And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
That is why the Scriptures say,
"How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"
16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said,
"LORD, who has believed our message?"
17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
But what he writes applies to us all...
He explains plainly our salvation, as well as gives an unequivocal mandate...
Romans 10
5 For Moses writes that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.
6 But faith's way of getting right with God says, "Don't say in your heart, 'Who will go up to heaven?' (to bring Christ down to earth).
7 And don't say, 'Who will go down to the place of the dead?' (to bring Christ back to life again)."
8 In fact, it says,
"The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart."*
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,
and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
11 As the Scriptures tell us,
"Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."
12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.
They have the same Lord,
who gives generously to all who call on him.
13 For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?
And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
That is why the Scriptures say,
"How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"
16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said,
"LORD, who has believed our message?"
17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
Friday, August 25, 2017
a necessary repeat
I know I shared this passage along with the rest of chapter 8 of Paul's letter to the followers of Jesus in Rome.
I just thought it could bear repeating.
Maybe someone out there needs to be reminded of all this?
Romans 8
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?
No one...
for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us?
No one...
for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us,
and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.
35 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?
36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.")
37 No,
despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ,
who loved us.
38 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.
39 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.
I just thought it could bear repeating.
Maybe someone out there needs to be reminded of all this?
Romans 8
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?
No one...
for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us?
No one...
for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us,
and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.
35 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?
36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.")
37 No,
despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ,
who loved us.
38 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.
39 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.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
8
Just read this - it's one of Paul's most powerful statements in all his writings...
Romans 8
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.
So God did what the law could not do.
He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.
And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death.
But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God.
It never did obey God's laws,
and it never will.
8 That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature.
You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
(And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
10 And Christ lives within you,
so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life
because you have been made right with God.
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.
And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die.
But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.
Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, "Abba, Father."
16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.
17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory.
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse.
But with eager hope,21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory,
for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.
We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,
including the new bodies he has promised us.
24 We were given this hope when we were saved.
(If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it.
25 But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son,
so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him.
And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.
And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?
No one...
for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us?
No one...
for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us,
and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.
35 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?
36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.")
37 No,
despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 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.
39 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
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.
So God did what the law could not do.
He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.
And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death.
But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God.
It never did obey God's laws,
and it never will.
8 That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature.
You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
(And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
10 And Christ lives within you,
so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life
because you have been made right with God.
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.
And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die.
But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.
Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, "Abba, Father."
16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.
17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory.
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse.
But with eager hope,21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory,
for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.
We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,
including the new bodies he has promised us.
24 We were given this hope when we were saved.
(If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it.
25 But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son,
so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him.
And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.
And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?
33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?
No one...
for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us?
No one...
for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us,
and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.
35 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?
36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.")
37 No,
despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 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.
39 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)