Category: Devotions

WEDNESDAY May 8^th

 

1 Corinthians 1:22–25.

‘For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.’

 

In 1 Corinthians 15 as Paul commences his robust defence of the resurrection of Jesus, after making mention of the gospel which he had preached to them vv1-2 he makes the statement that describes it, we know these verses so well 3-4 ‘For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures’, he is making it abundantly clear as to what the gospel is, and this is what he had preached and this is what he would continue to preach, as he has already stated in our text for today which is in the first chapter of the same epistle ‘but we preach Christ crucified’.

 

Paul continually had to defend not only the gospel itself, but the very preaching of the gospel. In Galatians chapter 1 he mentions those who were distorting the gospel, and even needs to reprimand those who were turning away from the true gospel to a different gospel, making it clear that in fact there is no other gospel. He is so serious and confident concerning the gospel which he had preached that he makes this judgment upon those pedalling a false gospel ‘let him be accursed’.

 

It is vitally important today that we do not detract from what the gospel is and from what the gospel can do, for it is the only means of eternal salvation. Therefore, we must have the same unbendable determination as Paul that ‘we preach Christ crucified’. It matters not how foolish the world considers the message to be, we preach Christ, we preach his atoning death, and we preach his triumphant resurrection.

 

Now, it could be said that although we preach Christ crucified, that in fact many others have been crucified, but the crucifixion of Jesus was vastly different to any other crucifixion that has ever taken place. We know that the two that hung either side of Jesus were criminals, Barabbas who was released when the people were given the choice between him and Jesus had been a troublemaker, but Pilate when he examined Jesus had no option but to say that he could find no fault in him. All other crucifixions took place because those crucified had done wrong, but not Jesus. He had lived perfectly, he had lived sinlessly, he was crucified not because of any crime he had done, but as the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice for our sin, he took my sins and my sorrows, he made them his very own, he took my place, he took your place, and as he hung on the cruel cross, executed by those who were given the orders to do so, he was paying the ultimate price for the sins of the world so that we could be reconciled back to God. So that is why we preach Christ crucified, because it is through his death that our sin has been atoned for and we can be forgiven and reconciled to God.

 

We dare not preach any other gospel, for there is no other way, it is the way of the cross that leads us home to God.

 

I have mentioned before that I was once accused by someone that I preach too much or too often about the cross and the resurrection.

 

Well as Paul himself said, ‘God forbid that I should boast save in the cross of Christ my God.’

 

I must, we must preach Christ crucified, for it is the power of God unto salvation, it is the only means for salvation.

TUESDAY May 7^th

 

1 Corinthians 1:20–21

‘Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.’

 

There is a cross-reference from verse 20 in the ESV that takes you to Isaiah 19:12 which reads ‘Where then are your wise men?  Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.’

 

It is a challenge from God to those who consider themselves to be the wise men of the day to reveal that which God is going to do, remember back in Elijah’s day, he challenged the prophets of Baal to a test to see whose God would answer and prove to be the true and living God, and in a similar way God is challenging the wise to see which of them, that is the wise men or God himself is the wiser, the one who knows and can reveal that which was to yet happen. In the previous verses in Isaiah (19:11) God says this about those who considered themselves to be wise in the days of the Egyptian Pharoah, ‘the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel’. We will recall the time when Nebuchadnezzar had had his dream and he called all the wise men together and demanded of them that they not only told him what his dream was, but also what it meant, and we read in Daniel 2, that they had to admit that with all their wisdom, they could not reveal what the dream was all about, and therefore they had no chance of revealing its meaning. Later in Daniel 4, Neb’ has another dream, this time he makes it easier for the wise men by telling them what the dream was, all they had to do was to give its meaning, but they could not give the interpretation. We see on both occasions it took a man called Daniel who was not wise in his own eyes, but had wisdom that came from above, wisdom given to him by God, who showed him what the king needed to know.

 

Very clearly we see that the wise men of this world, the wisdom of this world is not a match for the wisdom of almighty God, he knows all things, he is as I mentioned in one of last weeks devotions, the omniscient God, he knows all things, therefore in knowing all things he knows exactly how best to deal with any and every given situation, and when it came to fallen humanity, whereas the wise men in this world would have tried a 1001 ways to try to deal with the problem of sin, every single one of the 1001 options would have failed, it was only possible because the wisdom of God decided, the only wise God knew that it would take as it says in a song a lamb, and the Lamb needed to be the spotless, sinless Son of God who would give his life as an atoning sacrifice. ‘Foolishness’, says the world, not at all says the wise God, it is my power at work, and as a result through the cross, redemption has become available.

 

We need to learn from this as those who seek to excel in their own wisdom and think that they can overturn the Christian heritage of our nation, the biblical standards that have been the bedrock of our society, the morality that is taught through the counsel of God’s word, that their best wisdom falls short when it comes to wisdom that is from above. Repeating the words God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, the wisest counsellors give stupid wisdom, we need to stay firmly grounded on that which God’s word teaches us, allowing his wisdom as revealed in the Holy Scriptures to trump anything and everything else, so that our lives and the steps we take each day, and the standards we live by each day are ordered by the Lord.

FRIDAY May 3^rd

 

1 Corinthians 1:19

‘For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”’

 

It is written, means that what Paul is about to write has already been written in Scripture, it is to be found in Isaiah 29:14, which says ‘therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden’, and is also alluded to in Job 5:12-13 ‘He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end’, and like what is found in Jeremiah 8:9 ‘The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?’

 

In other words, firstly, that even among the wise, the clever, those who consider themselves to be intellectual there are those who cannot understand what God has done through the cross, and despite all their cleverness they consider it to be foolish. But God says, you can have all the intellect and wisdom that is to be found in the world in the places of learning and education that you like, today we would say, you can have all the letters you can earn after your name, but what I have done in the message of the cross, defies it all, you consider it foolishness, you consider it nonsense, you consider it folly, but be warned it is my power at work, and my power towers over and above all of your wisdom, philosophical ideas, and letters after your name and it towers above all the world’s intellect stacked together, my power demonstrated at Calvary will never be frustrated or thwarted as a result of your devices of craftiness.

 

We are living in the days where universities, places of education and governments are seeking to put themselves over and above the word of God, which includes seeking to overrule the word of God, and as a result they are seeking to undermine the power or the message of the cross, we don’t want your Christianity, we don’t want your God. But God will never be thwarted, by education nor by governments, instead, he himself will cause them to be thwarted and to be destroyed. And one of the wonders of the message of the cross, and the power of God at work through that message is that the ones who consider it to be foolish will one day realise that as an aspect of the outworking of the gospel, Jesus will reign, and his reign will put an end to all human authority, his reign will put an end to all human philosophy and wisdom and one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

 

Secondly and briefly. ‘It is written,’ this is a sure reminder to us that what God has said, and as a result has been written in his word will come to pass! Again, from Job we read ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.’ God’s purpose was the cross, God’s purpose is still the message of the cross, don’t be foolish and consider it as foolishness, don’t be wise in your own understanding, don’t think that there are alternative ways, the cross is the only provision God has made, come and respond to the message of the gospel, allow the power of God to be at work in your life.

 

It is a bank holiday Monday, we are away as a family to North Wales for our granddaughter Amelia’s dedication this weekend, devotions will return on Tuesday.

THURSDAY May 2^nd

 

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

 

V18 ‘For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’.

 

A few weeks back on a Sunday evening as Iain was sharing the word, he commented concerning the Easter message as to how far into the year can we keep looking back to the Easter weekend, the reason being that he was going to speak further on some of the things that happened over that momentous weekend two-thousand years ago. And the straight answer is that we can keep on talking, preaching about the events of that weekend right through the year, without ever ending as it is the most important weekend that has ever taken place on planet earth. Therefore, I will come to the same verse for the third time!

 

The facts concerning the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are the central theme of both the Scripture and the central point in the history of the world.

 

The message, or the word of, or the preaching of the cross is the most urgent and needed message that the world needs to hear. And we need to do all that we can to make this important and pivotal message known to those all around us, regardless or not of whether as they hear it, they consider it to be foolishness. The fact of the matter is this, that many of us may have considered it as foolishness at some time in the past, but as the message was proclaimed, the Holy Spirit worked in our lives to change our understanding of it as from being foolish to it becoming the power of God that saved us and continues to save us.

 

Thank God for everyone that heralded the gospel in some way that has caused us to be together as a fellowship of God’s people, yes we may have different backgrounds, come from various parts of the UK or from other nations of the world, but it was the preaching of the gospel that reconciled us to God and brought us into the wonderful fellowship that we can enjoy together as the family of God.

 

God knew exactly what he was doing, and Paul later says in this same chapter ‘For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom’ (v25) He isn’t calling God foolish, but what he is saying is this ‘How dare men and women think that they know better than God!’ With all our intellect and knowledge, we are not a match for God—he is the omniscient one, he knows all things, even those things which are yet to come or to happen.

 

As we have come to know the power of God, may we seek to find any and every way possible to share the good news of the gospel, knowing that as we are obedient in sowing the seed, it is the Holy Spirit who will water it and God will give the increase.

WEDNESDAY May 1^st

 

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

 

V18 ‘For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’.

 

Yesterday we considered how the word of the cross, or as it reads in the NIV ‘the message of the cross’, in the KJV ‘the preaching of the cross’ is foolishness or folly to those who are perishing.  Those who are perishing is a reference to all who fail to believe and respond. Sadly, that is a majority of those who live around us as our neighbours, a majority of those who make up our nation, and most of the world’s population. Just consider this, the greatest events in the whole of history, the death and resurrection of Jesus, are considered as foolishness!

 

Yet, Paul continues to say, ‘but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’

 

What the unbelieving world considers foolish, is the most incredible demonstration of God’s power that has ever been demonstrated or seen. A dead man raised to life again, that is powerful, but raised never to die again, that is even more powerful, but raised to give or to grant eternal life to all who will believe on him, that is can I suggest even more powerful, why? Because we deserved to die, we do not deserve to live forever, but God who is rich in mercy and abounding in love, was willing to put the plan of redemption into effect so that because of all that Jesus has done, that is in his death and his resurrection, we can be redeemed, justified, saved and not just for time but for eternity.

 

My eternal salvation, your eternal salvation is the power of God at work! Dead men (and women) cannot talk, dead men cannot walk, dead men are dead! But hallelujah, this is not so if you or I are in Christ, because Jesus made the declaration, that ‘whoever lives and believes in him shall never die’! In the same statement Jesus has said ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ (this was even before he had died!) he then continued ‘whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’ (John 11:25-26). Yes, we will die, but it will only be a physical death, when it happens, spiritually we will be more alive than ever before, we will be walking and talking with Jesus!  And physical death is but temporal, for the day is coming when the dead in Christ will be raised and we shall be changed, transformed in the twinkling of an eye, that which was perishable, mortal, will immediately become imperishable and immortal!

 

Foolishness says the world, what utter nonsense and incredulous talk. ‘Not to me’ says Paul, and ‘not to us’ says each one of us who have come to believe. ‘It is the incredible power of almighty God at work in our lives’.  

 

So great is the power of God, Paul says in the chapters we have recently considered, first from Romans 8:11 ‘If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you’, and from 1 Corinthians 15:57 ‘But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’

 

I cannot but finish by mentioning another aspect of this incredible power of God at work, it is in the words of a hymn:

 

There is power, power, wonder working power,

In the blood, of the Lamb,

There is power, power wonder working power,

In the precious blood of the Lamb.

 

If you still consider the message of the cross to be foolishness, I urge you to consider it this way: What if you are wrong, (and I believe you are) think of where you will spend eternity, it will be in the lake of fire, a place of eternal damnation, eternally separated from God (Revelation 20:15). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he offers you not only forgiveness of sin, but also eternal life. An eternity with Jesus, in the presence of God, where there will be no more tears, suffering, pain, or sorrow, an eternity enjoying all that God is preparing for those who love him.

 

Foolishness or the power of God. Today I have offered you the choice between life or death—choose life that you may live, choose the power of God.

TUESDAY April 30^th

 

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

 

V18 ‘For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’.

 

Let’s add here as well the verse I used yesterday from Romans 1:16 ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes’.

 

Recently we have remembered again the events of that weekend a little over two-thousand years ago when Jesus of Nazareth was taken and crucified, and after breathing out his last breath, crying out ‘it is finished’, was buried.

 

Now wouldn’t it have been a tragic waste of a life if the burial of Jesus had been the end of the story. All the predictions of the Old Testament and the promises that he had made himself while preaching and teaching about eternal life would have been just utter nonsense, because a dead man can offer absolutely nothing.

 

But thank God the burial and the sealing of the tomb with a stone was not the end, because on the third day, as some of them went to the tomb they were greeted with what is one of the most incredible statements that have ever been made ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead, he is not here he is risen’.

 

Imagine the conversation:

 

‘What do you mean he is risen’, ‘Well, do you not remember what it was that he told you when he was with you in Galilee?’ ‘No, remind us.’ ‘The son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise’. (Luke 24)

 

I am sure we have all heard news reports and stories of what we can only describe as incredible, some of them almost sounding unbelievable, but the evidence has been overwhelming. As an example, is it not strange that despite all the evidence that has been given, many will not accept that man has stepped on the moon, they will do all they can to discredit the story. When it comes to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, despite all the evidence of those who witnessed and testified about it, Paul says a few years after the event that it was considered as foolishness to so many, they just would not believe. In fact, at first the disciples thought it was all just an idle tale (Luke 24:11 nonsense NIV). But Paul goes all out to demonstrate that the resurrection of Jesus was a fact, there were too many witnesses to write it off as fake news, and he himself, although a little later than all the other witnesses had encountered Jesus himself while travelling from Jerusalem to Damascus. Yet, despite the testimony of many, despite the evidence of those whose lives have been transformed by the power of the gospel over the last two-thousand years, most of the world’s population still consider it all to be foolishness, nonsense, an idle tale.

 

Where do you stand today as you read this devotion, for, how you respond and what you believe will decide your eternal destination, for as Paul defends the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:22, he says, ‘For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive’. Want to know more? I will continue with this same verse, 1 Corinthians 1:18 in the next devotion.

MONDAY April 29^th

 

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

 

V17 ‘For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power’.

 

I am going to call this next series of devotions, Paul and his writings, a sequel to the previous set of devotions! So, however many devotions it will be it will be!

 

This selection of verses has been particularly special to me for as long as I can remember, at least going right back to my early teenage years, which well, is a long time ago!

 

I think that the older I have got, the more I have appreciated the word of God, not that I have never appreciated it, but over the years I have come to understand it more deeply and realise the importance of allowing it to be an essential part of my life.

 

Psalm 119:105 springs to mind, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’. I can remember how this verse was impressed upon me as a youngster, and I look back and say, ‘Thank you Lord for your word, which truly has been a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’. I don’t know how many of the younger ones in our fellowship read the devotions,  but if you do, can I encourage you to take hold of the word of God and allow it to be your lamp and light as you navigate through life, allow the word of God to be your daily guide as you make choices that will impact you both for the present, the future, and also for eternity.

 

Now I have selected v17 today, I can recall a pastor in my teen-age years preaching from this section, and even though I cannot recall the substance of his sermon, I do know that it had a deep impact on me, in particular verse 18 and verses 30-31 which we will arrive at over the next few days.

 

But for today’s devotion, verse 17 is a good reminder to us of the simplicity of the gospel message. We do not have to pack it up in religious jargon or in words that are eloquent and need an expert to unpack, we simply need to preach the gospel as it is, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, that is to save each one of us, and that he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins, so that as we come to believe on him and to place our trust in him, we are forgiven and receive eternal life. Now of course, once we have shared the basics we can enlarge further, but first people need to hear that they are sinners, whether they like to hear it or not, and that we are heading for eternal destruction in Hell, unless we repent and believe.

 

As we will see in the next verse, (v18) many consider it all to be foolishness, that is why those of us who have come to faith, and have understood something of the wonder of the message need to pray that as we share the good news, that the Holy Spirit will begin to work in the hearts of the hearers, bringing both conviction and light to shine so that they will eventually respond by faith.

 

May God help us all to understand the simplicity and the incredible power of the gospel in such a way that as Paul said in Romans 1:16 that we will all be able to say ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes’, and that we will be willing to share the good news so that others will come to know the power of God at work in their lives.

FRIDAY April 26^th

Well, as we come to the devotion today, I have been trying to decide as to when do I draw to a close the thoughts that I have been seeking to share concerning the Apostle and Paul, his life and ministry, I checked back, and we commenced this journey on November 13^th, well, today a quick look back over Romans 8 and then although I will call this the last in this series, I will concentrate further on some more of the great chapters that have come from the pen of Paul.

As I consider him as we first met him called Saul, making his way on the road to Damascus, and then look back over the magnificent letters that he penned or others penned for him to send both to churches and to individuals, it reminds us of how wonderful the grace of God really is. It takes hold of a wretch and transforms him into a trophy of grace.

Despite knowing what the cost was going to be to him personally, he responded with obedience to the call of God, and he fulfilled what was said about him to Ananias, that he would carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

Obviously, for those who know me well, I am going to say that 1 Corinthians 15 was his greatest compilation, but I readily admit that Romans 8 comes a very close second!

To remind us from this chapter:

In Christ we are no longer under condemnation!

In Christ we have been set free from the law of sin and death.

In Christ we are found to be in the law of the Spirit of life.

In Christ the law has been fulfilled on our behalf.

In Christ although the body is dead because of sin, we are going to know what it is for the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead to give life to our mortal bodies.

In Christ we have been adopted into the family of God, he has become our Abba Father.

In Christ anything we suffer in this life will be outweighed by all that is being prepared for us in glory.

In Christ we have the help of the Holy Spirit as our intercessor.

In Christ, God is for us, therefore nothing can be against us.

In Christ we are more than conquerors.

In Christ we will never be separated from the love of God.

What a wonderful chapter, what wonderful blessings and benefits as we learn to walk by the Spirit and with the Spirit’s help through this world heading to our eternal destination.

‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’

A final word—as you read this, are you in Christ? Do you know what it is to be truly born again by the Spirit of God, have you come to Jesus, confessing your sin, with repentance in your heart, have you accepted him to be your Saviour and Lord, if not may today be the day where you choose life, by choosing Jesus.

THURSDAY April 25^th

Romans 8:37-39

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.’

As we come to the end of this chapter, (I will turn to it again tomorrow) today I want to consider the last four words ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’.

This is such a comprehensive title, Christ – reveals that he is the sent one, the anointed one, the promised and long waited for Messiah. Jesus is the earthly name which his parents were instructed to give him at his birth, it is the equivalent to the Old Testament Joshua which means God is salvation and Lord which is self-explanatory, to include that he is the exalted one.

But Paul includes the word ‘our’, signifying that as we have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we not only see him as the exalted Lord, but we allow him to become Lord in our lives. He is Lord, he is MY Lord. In the great exaltation passage in Philippians 2, we are reminded that God has exalted him and given him the name which is above every other name, so that every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

The day is coming when EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and it will not be optional. But praise the Lord, that for each of us who have come to know Jesus we willingly confess in the here and now that Jesus Christ is Lord, we often declare it, either in prayer, through the reading of Scripture and the singing of songs, we can think of the little chorus, He is Lord, He is Lord, he is risen from the dead and he is Lord, or perhaps Jesus is Lord, creations voice proclaims it, songs that declare his Lordship, then there is a song that we use where we are personally declaring Jesus to be our Lord, Jesus MY Lord will love me forever.

But there is a vast difference to singing and saying the words than to allowing it to truly be the reality in our lives, Jesus needs to be, he must be Lord of our lives, that is that in coming to faith, we rely on him not just to be our Saviour, but we allow him to be Lord over all things. It is the surrendering of our lives over to that which he has a right to demand from us, it is putting him first in all things, it is giving him priority in our daily lives and in our weekly agenda. He is either Lord of all or not Lord at all, is a phrase that is often quoted, and we need to ensure that if we declare he is Lord that we allow him to be Lord. This should affect every choice and decision we make every day, in our own lives, in our families and homes, in our education and employment, in our relationship towards the family of God and for fellowship.

WEDNESDAY April 24^th

Romans 8:37-39

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.’

Well, we continue the same theme today, taking the part that says ‘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.’

I wonder if Paul uses the words height and depth, to help us to understand how vast the love of God really is, in other words you could get to the highest possible place in our atmosphere (and beyond), we could dig down to the deepest depths possible and yet whether height or depth, we will not be separated from the love of God. God is omni-present, therefore because God is love, his love is also omni-present. Paul would not have had a clue concerning the modern phenomenon of space travel which we have been able to witness over the last 60 years or so, the fact that man has walked on the moon, space craft have been millions of miles into outer space, and yet with all our crazy exploration, man has not and will not ever be able to get to a spot in space where the love of God cannot be found!

No wonder the Psalmist could say ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork’, or ‘Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!’ (Psalm 24, Psalm 139)

The previously mentioned ‘rulers, (principalities KJV) powers’, can incarcerate us in prison as they did with the apostle Paul, or banish us to some faraway place as they did with John to the Isle of Patmos, but in incarcerating or in banishing they cannot and will not be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!  Remember Paul and Silas in prison – they sang hymns and prayed, remember John on the Isle of Patmos, he had the most incredible revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Considering Romans 8:28, because they were loved by God and in return loved God and lived for God according to that which was his will and purpose for them, we see that God worked everything out for good!

In Psalm 56 we read ‘This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ (vv9-11) It is found again in Hebrews 13:6 ‘So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”’ The verse before says ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’

So, who (or what) shall separate us from the love of Christ? Paul has answered it very comprehensively for us, as we remain in him, absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nought, naught, diddly squat.

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.’

Are you a conqueror?