Today’s Encouragement is Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure 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.”
Separate us –
I confess, I believed a lie for many years. The actress in the old sitcom ‘Maude’ had a famous line “God’s gonna get you for that!” It was a famous line in its day and got a lot of laughs. But I believed it! I believed the lie that God looks around the world like a scowling schoolmaster with a stick, watching everyone ready to whack your hand for some infraction of his rules.
I believed that when I sinned God himself designed some direct response of punishment specifically for me to “get my attention”. I believed that was God whacking me when I was bad. My friends this is a lie!
No person set about to teach me this lie, but the enemy of our souls certainly loved it, and did his best to ensure that this lie about God was deeply planted in my heart.
This lie distorted even the Love and Grace of God! I believed I was allowed to be a part of God’s family, as long as I behaved, but always very close to the exit door to be booted out when my behavior was unacceptable to that stern schoolmaster. Lies!!!
I now believe that God is a loving Father, the perfect Father. He has incredible patience with us, and understands (but doesn’t condone) our sin, failure and frailties. He is not surprised, disappointed or sad when we sin, he recognizes it is our nature to sin and desires to help us become free from sin. He doesn’t wag His head back and forth and ‘Tsk, Tsk, Tsk’ at us. Rather, in His unlimited Love, He puts His arm around us and says, “It’s ok. Because you are clothed with Christ, as one who believes in Him, you are loved and forgiven. You keep doing the best you can to love me and to love others and I’ll take care of you. I’ve got you. You belong to me.”
Good, Good Father
Chris Tomlin
Today’s Encouragement 