I am preaching on love for four Sundays, one of my favorite subjects. I am so glad that it is also "one of God's favorite subjects." While I am preaching from I Corinthians tomorrow, I was reading this morning in the book of Romans.
Many students of Romans agree that chapter 8 is "the mountain top" of this powerful book. There are many "mountain peaks" within the chapter, wonderful verses full of theological and heart warming truth. Within the chapter, many of us might identify the highest peak in the chapter comes in those glorious final verses of great assurance:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 8:38, 39
As I began to write this blog, I remembered a favorite song of mine by veteran Canadian singer Anne Murray. It is titled "Someone is Always Saying Goodbye". It recounts the plaintive truth that in our transient and travelling world, people are always saying goodbye: to loved ones leaving in taxis and buses, on trains and in planes. It avoids mentioning the final, ultimate goodbye that no one can escape.
Living in an international city among expats, all far from home, and none expecting to retire here, we say "goodbye" even more than most people.
Human love is often so fragile: witness broken friendships, broken promises, broken homes. Human love at best is so often strained by distance and broken always by death.
But God's love - God's marvellous love never fails. Nothing, absolutely nothing "can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
No wonder we want to gather with some of God's people every Sunday to praise and worship the God who loves so deeply and eternally.
Many students of Romans agree that chapter 8 is "the mountain top" of this powerful book. There are many "mountain peaks" within the chapter, wonderful verses full of theological and heart warming truth. Within the chapter, many of us might identify the highest peak in the chapter comes in those glorious final verses of great assurance:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 8:38, 39
As I began to write this blog, I remembered a favorite song of mine by veteran Canadian singer Anne Murray. It is titled "Someone is Always Saying Goodbye". It recounts the plaintive truth that in our transient and travelling world, people are always saying goodbye: to loved ones leaving in taxis and buses, on trains and in planes. It avoids mentioning the final, ultimate goodbye that no one can escape.
Living in an international city among expats, all far from home, and none expecting to retire here, we say "goodbye" even more than most people.
Human love is often so fragile: witness broken friendships, broken promises, broken homes. Human love at best is so often strained by distance and broken always by death.
But God's love - God's marvellous love never fails. Nothing, absolutely nothing "can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
No wonder we want to gather with some of God's people every Sunday to praise and worship the God who loves so deeply and eternally.
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