"What then sahll we say to these thing? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is th one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God who indeed is interceding for us? Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
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 seperate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:31-39
Yesterday I spoke on our Identity in Christ at the Christian school I teach at. I went over this stuff with the students, while I too fight identity issues. I often condemn myselft. I don't think I'm good enough to do certain things just cause I don't read my bible long enough or pray longer than 5 minutes. And when I do pray it's a list of wants to God. I have trouble worshiping for some reason and I get mad cause I have a problem, cause I want to get close to God. But for some reason I can't, and I put myself down.
I browbeat myself cause, in my mind after 2 years of being a Christian, I should have struggles with "sin issues" like purity or finances completely taken care of. I shouldn't have any stuggles like that anymore, right. I mean come on. So it's there I end up. And in that place I look at myself as someone who doesn't deserve God's grace, mercy, forgiveness or love.
Ask yourself.....does any of this sound familiar? It sounds all to familiar to me and I am sick of it.
A friend of mine I care for deepy emailed me an apology today, for acting goofy on the phone last night and she thought she was being obnoxious. As soon as I read it my thought was, "NO WAY.....The thought didn't even cross my mind. And if this person was in fact being obnoxious and I couldn't love them while they were, I shouldn't be saying I love them at all." Now why do I love my neighbor like that, but can't love myself like that? Love your neighbor as yourself? Am I? I'm loving my neighbor, but not myself......how's that possible?
Well I was fed up tonight. Seriously. So I took time to spend with God and first it was Hebrews He spoke (Hebrews 3:14). But then I was lead to Romans and the verses listed above. And in reading them as I've done time and time before, I was shown that I am not condemned. And if you have felt like I have, neither are you. It says Jesus Christ died for us. He was condemned to death for us, and in Isaiah it says that it even pleased the Father to bruise the Son for us.
And then God said, "If what you did in your past before you gave yourself to me didn't seperate you from Me and the love I have for you; then neither will anything you are doing or anything you will do." NOTHING will seperate me from His love. He will always love me. Always......And I know that there will be time that I will have to come back to this and read it time and time again. But I've been told.....I will always love you.....Nothing will seperate you....NOTHING......NOTHING......... NOTHING........NOTHING.........NOTHING!!!!!!
NOTHING!
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