This is a photo taken of the God's people marching around the walls of the city of Jericho. Okay. look closely and you will see the wall, the city and the people who inhabit the town. They are all too happy.
This is Gabriel. My nephew. He has stolen my heart. He is 2. His life has brought me great joy these last few months. Through potty training, bedtime rituals, and ear kisses, I can hardly stop smiling.
Gabriel knows every word to the very theological hymn, "How Firm a Foundation".
I have several favorite sayings of his.
(looking up) "I can see my soul up there. I can grab it" (grabbing at the air).
(singing to the tune of GOD IS SO GOOD) "I Love the Pope". Where did he get that?
My all time favorite, "Gabriel disobeyed Aunt Evie. But Aunt Evie disobeyed God!"
As if I needed a 2 year old to remind me of my disobedience. Sometimes I do.
I would like to talk about the sermon this morning. It was Romans 8:38.
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither 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.
So one reason we have been given the scriptures, is so that we can go back and remember them. Anytime we forget. Which is frequent.
Paul says, do not forget. Here. if it isn't enough that angels and demons can't separate you from God's love (if you are In Christ Jesus), I'll talk about the present circumstances. Whatever you're going through right now. Yes, it's hard, but can it separate you from God's love? NO.
Well, what about the future? What about all I fear will happen or won't happen? Paul says no. NO THING. But what about if I don't feel that way? Doesn't matter. Convince yourself otherwise. Be convinced along with Paul that it's the truth. God LOVES YOU. Why? Because of the precious death of Jesus Christ.
What about anything else you might be thinking of? Your nagging insecurities. Your lonliness. Your failures. The pressures on you? The people you're responsible for? The people you've hurt? The people who've hurt you? Rising gas prices. Your failure as a responsible adult? Your house that's too small. Your unjustified need for a bigger house. Your thoughts, Yourself. No. You cannot separate you from the love of Christ. NO THING can.
Where does that put us? In a place where we think before we feel. We feel deeply and passionately and affectionately. But we think first. We think about the truth that Jesus Christ has placed our souls in a right place. And then we challenge ourselves to see how magnificent our God is.
It was a good sermon.
