Christ's Love

We're reading through Romans this week with Fisherwick, the church I go to here. Today was Ch. 4-8, which, in many ways, is the heart of the whole book. This was at the end of the reading. It's one of those passages that just get's you jazzed and excited about what God has done through Christ for us!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation,
or distress,
or persecution,
or famine,
or nakedness,
or danger,
or sword?
[...]
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.
~Romans 8:35, 37-39~

I read last week that Christians are currently the most persecuted group of people in the world, between China, Russia, North Africa, and the Middle East*. It's passages like this, even more importantly the reality that it conveys, that explain how it is that every year thousands of those who hold fast to the love of God and believe in Christ Jesus die for their faith. That they would rather die being faithful to this God from whom they can never be separated, then die having denied him is incredible. Only a love from a God like this can be honored with that sort of devotion. A devotion that doesn't take others' lives (as with suicide bombers, etc.), but gives up one's own life for nothing other than a devotion to God.


*This is very likely true, but ought not to detract from the fact that there are other groups of people who are highly persecuted around the world as well. We should be pushing and fighting for all whose very lives - a gift from God - are under threat from others.