More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:28 - 39
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, 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.

I had a bitter sweet lunch with a dear friend and brother today. It was sweet because our conversation was real. We were real with each other. We talked about our sin, our God, and how God has been breaking the both of us that we might be freed from the sin that keeps us from being truly free people; free to really live and experience the joy that our Father in heaven wants all of us to experience. Many times, we find ourselves, at least I do, caught up in a spiral of sin, despair, and frustration with life.

As I was just journaling, a song came on that used the line "we are more than conquerors", and so I pulled up the scripture above from Romans 8 to remember what it says. See how the focus is really not about "us as conquerors" but rather how the love of Christ has overcome all, and because nothing can separate us from his love, for that reason, and that reason alone (not anything that we do or don't do) are we "more than conquerors". Praise God!!!!

I can be so phony, putting on the front of feeling confident and having my life together, when the truth is that I'm putting my hope in the feeling of being loved and approved by others, which always fails. How sweet is the brokenness and freedom that my heavenly Father brings me through that I might experience that joy, that salvation, that hope that we claim as Christians to believe, even though we don't...even though I don't so often.