FRIDAY April 12th
Romans 8:31-39
V37 ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’
As we come to verses 31 through to 39 of Romans 8, the ESV has the heading ‘God’s Everlasting Love’.
I wonder how often we have seen something advertised as everlasting. I recall when I was at school, we used to slip out at lunch time to the shop to buy some sweets, usually Bazooka Joe bubble gum, and they used to also have what were called everlasting gobstoppers! I brought some, but one thing is sure they were not everlasting! Yes, they were big, yes, they lasted for a long time, but the more you sucked, the smaller they became, till eventually they were gone!
Well, the Bible advertises ‘everlasting love’. And it is exactly as advertised! It is not a love that is based on human love which ebbs and flows, in love one day and out of love the next, it is not a love that is portrayed in soppy songs, it is love that springs from the One who is himself love, it flows from the very heart and nature of the Lord God, who alone is the true and the living God. And God’s love is eternal, his love because it is a part of who he is, has always been and will always be, he keeps giving it out, we keep receiving it, and it will never diminish, it will never come to an end, it is everlasting love. And in these verses Paul wants us to come to a place of rejoicing in how great God’s love really is toward us and for us to understand that as we remain in him, there is absolutely nothing that will separate us from his love.
His everlasting love means that as we come to trust in him, we will also receive everlasting life. These verses assure us that as we have come to receive these eternal gifts of love and of life that we should be able to live victoriously, conquerors over everything that seeks to throw itself against us until the day dawns and the shadows flee away and we will be found in his eternal presence.
Next week we will take a closer look at these verses.