Out of the Wreck I Rise

May 19th, 2016 by Dave Leave a reply »

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35

God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, “I will be with him in trouble…” (Psalm 91:15). It doesn’t matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. “In all these things we are more than conquerors…” (Romans 8:37). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are “super-victors” in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn’t have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.

“Shall tribulation…?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you (Matthew 13:22).

“Shall…distress…?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

“Shall…famine…?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.

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Journal DJR
Good morning Lord,
Today I used JD’s favorite method of song search to find our song to match the daily devotion from Oswald Chambers… looking at the list of songs being played on K-Love, starting with what’s being played right now. It works pretty well, not 100%, but many times the right song is right there, waiting for us. So today, I instantly knew that this song was the right one to go with the message. But then I opened it up and evaluated the lyrics and felt three things. First, I didn’t see your name in there and then it seemed like there might be too much work in the prescription of steps to survive hard times. Kind of like self help prescriptions. Good Ideas that work with or without You. But then I saw that you were really in the lyrics, just different aspects.

Let every heartbreak and every scar
Be a picture that reminds you Who has carried you this far
‘Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment Heaven’s working everything for your good

And the Romans 8:28 mantra that you have given us in that last line, confirmed that I once again had been led to the right song for the day. Thank you for being there for us and leading us… whenever we are ready, you are always there. How great is that!

I have said, I will never leave you or forsake you. You and all humans leave and forsake me from time to time, some more some less. But I am not offended. Remember I made you and I know you. I watch you with curiosity, not judgement. It would be good for you to watch others that way also. It will help you appropriate that peace that passes understanding that I make available to all.

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