Devotional- Nothing Can Seperate

I'm going to start posting devotionals as often as I can. Thinking realistically, I probably won't have the chance to post one everyday- but I am going to try to share truth and encouragement that God puts on my heart after reading scripture. We are all constantly in need of truth, hope, and light- it is my prayer that through these devotionals you will be uplifted and encouraged throughout your day and that you will ponder God's love and His word more deeply. If you'd like to receive these posts and others, make sure to subscribe on the sidebar by putting in your email address and new posts will be sent straight to your inbox!

"Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.

We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us."-Romans 8:31-39 (MSG)

Is there any place God's grace doesn't reach? Is there anything that can separate us from Him? Is there anything you can do to drive Him away?

These questions often run through my mind. It seems basic, in theory, to embrace the concept of God's grace, but in daily life we sometimes don't let this truth permeate below the surface. It's hard to even fathom, really- that absolutely nothing on earth can come between you and God. That's a reason to celebrate; a reason to rejoice and permanently throw away that bag of bricks you've been holding and burn your checklist of things you need to do to please God. Read it again: "Nothing can get between us and God's love." Nothing. No emotional outbursts, anxious worrying, negative thoughts, selfish choices, love of the world, unkind words, worshipping of status, material, or money- absolutely none of that can separate you from God. The Bible says "not even the worst sins" could separate you from Him.

So don't listen to the lies. Don't listen to the lies that God's grace doesn't apply to you. Don't listen to the lies that it's too late or you're too far gone or what you've done is too horrible. The baffling and awe-inspiring thing is that you don't have to clean yourself up and become a walking, talking piece of perfection before approaching God. If you had your life together and never made any mistakes you would have no need for Jesus. Nothing you did yesterday, nothing you've done today, and nothing you'll do tomorrow can pull you from God's hand. His love and grace cannot be taken away. The reality is that you will fail- over and over and over again; but the important thing that you can't afford to miss is that in your failure, God's grace is made perfect. Nothing you go through, nothing you say, nothing you do can put a wedge between you and God.

The next piece of good news is that all of those dark, terrible things you feel weighing you down are not intended to stay there. With God inside of you, transformation is inevitable. Of course you will never be perfect and darkness and sin will never be completely extracted from your life on this earth- but even still, if God's spirit lives deep within you, He is constantly guiding and helping you to depart from your old ways and embrace His new and life-filled ways.

"But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!" -Romans 8:9-11 (MSG)

Wow. So as humans we are constantly experiencing the limitations of darkness and sin, but in the midst of that, God raises us to life. He turns our perspective and our choices from darkness and death to light and life. He delivers us from all of our mistakes and all of our shame. 

Let's walk away fully understanding both truths today: God's grace is available forever, no matter what we do or what we've done, but at the same time, as He lives in our hearts He is constantly helping us to change and become more like Him.