Wednesday, December 1, 2010

"Convinced"

Scripture Verses that Caught My attention Today: Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.

Observation: Paul uses the word “convinced.” His use of this word, in combination with the whole thought expressed in these chapters, implies that he has thought about this subject a great deal and has now arrived at a conclusion which offers lasting satisfaction. He’s convinced.

Application: At some point it seems to me that either God’s promises are to be trusted or they are a sham, plain and simple. Last night I was having an interesting discussion with someone who had just read one of Dan Brown’s books. We were kind of looking through Dan’s literary arguments, many of which had to do with acquiring some sort of special knowledge (like ancient Gnosticism) or taking total control and focus of our minds to more or less become God-like. I could suddenly see why the books are so popular—he capitalizes on a host of modern sensibilities—wanting to be independent, not focusing on community, distrusting institutions, wanting to control our own destiny, etc. There is no mention of the truly Christian themes of repentance, sacrifice, suffering, and service. There is no concept of God’s desire to be with us being every bit as prominent as our desire to be with God, maybe even more so.

Paul had seen the great lengths God, through Christ had done to demonstrate his love for us. “While we were sinners Christ died for us.” Even though we cannot do the good that we want, the one that rescues us from this body of decay is Christ Jesus our Lord. The “sufferings” of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed in us. Paul’s examples of why he is so “convinced” that nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ are all over the place in these chapters. He says we have “peace” with God through all of these things. Yes, there is pain, like being in labor, but there will be fruit to be seen.

So often we try to limit the love of God. Why? For what purpose? What will be gained? Sometimes I think that, unlike Paul, we’re just not quite convinced.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be as convinced of your love as your Apostle Paul. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(readings today included Romans 5-8)

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