Friday, March 4, 2022
Greetings, Dear Friends ~
Thank you for the opportunity to share with you through this week’s Selah blog post! While we are each on our own individual journey, there is great strength in the collective bond we share—together! As we continue with part four in our series, “But God!,” I invite you to consider the message that follows, and pray it blesses your soul.
Here are words from Romans 5:8 (ESV):
“But God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
How often do we stop and consider a message such as the one above? It is easy to get caught up in our day to day lives, mindlessly moving about and going from one task to the next without fully engaging in what the Lord means to us—and what He has done for us. As I think about the words in Romans 5:8, I remember times in my life when I have done exactly what the Lord was leading me to do, and other time when I have totally missed the mark!
Some memories can be especially painful, and the enemy is very good at helping us to “play the tape over and over again” about what we have done wrong. Though we might do 99 things right, contemplating our failures can hold us hostage! We might consider: “What was I thinking?” “How could I have done that?” “How stupid of me to do thus and so!” And the list could go on and on!
Just a few days ago, we might have received the imposition of ashes for Ash Wednesday. It was a day to consider our limitations, sins, the sacrifice Christ made for us, the reality of our temporary human existence, and our dependence on God for everything. Life has a way of showing us what we are and what we are not. It has a way of revealing to us our greatest wounds and deepest flaws. The journey can cultivate within us a yearning for the things of God . . . a yearning to be right with Him . . . a yearning to please and live for Him. But juxtaposed within our experiences are the good that we would do and the sins that sometimes overtake us.
If we had a magical eraser, would we not want to go back and do some things differently? Might we not want to allow the good (God) in us to prevail—choosing wisdom and God’s plan over everything else because we know His plan for us is always best?! After all, God’s Word tells us, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” But try as we might, we cannot change the past. Nor does God want us to walk in condemnation or live our lives paralyzed by fear, which prevents us from moving forward. So, what are we to do, My Friends?
Read these words from Romans 8:34-35, 38-39(KJV):
“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
For any and every situation that happens to us in life, there is a “But God!” There is absolutely no condemnation for anything that we do that God’s love does not cover! What great news for us as believers! It is our ultimate hope! As people of God, I believe we tend to focus on guilt and shame, and it is sometimes hard to embrace the fact that God does indeed love us. We picture a God that is constantly judging our every action and any type of penitence we do somehow falls short of our mistakes. Let’s face it, not only have we made mistakes, but we will make them again. It is part of being alive! Think about our focal Scripture from Romans 5:8 again:
“But God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God loved us so much that He sent a Savior. We did and never will have the capacity to save ourselves or sufficiently atone for our mistakes. God simply desires that we have a contrite heart. He beckons us to come to Him and confess our sins because He truly is faithful and just to forgive us—and to cleanse us from all (not some) unrighteousness (I John 1:9). This is blessed assurance! I know I need my Savior and Lord! This does not make us weak. Quite to the contrary, it brings great strength!
So, as we journey through this Lenten Season and look forward to Resurrection Sunday (Easter), I pray you have time to consider God’s love for you. Nothing in your life has the capacity to separate you from the love of God. Our redemption is important to God, and our well-being is a part of His plan. You are valued. You are worth it. Your sins are covered. We are sinners saved by grace. We confess our sins to Almighty God and go in peace. Hallelujah for a “But God!” reminder!
Remember . . . God loves you right where you are; there truly is no greater love.
May our God fill your life to the brim and allow you to see the overflow! This is my prayer for you as you remember that . . . this world is definitely a much better place because you are in it!
Until Next Time, My Dear Friends,
Selah