05/19/2025
Today let’s consider the timeless nature of our relationship with Jesus; not so much as being either in or outside of time itself, but the unending or eternal nature of it. Do we truly understand the extent of His faithfulness and how incredibly deep His love is for us? Is our love for Him capable of reaching just as far?
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Romans 8:35 KJV
Is our faith this strong? Is our love for Jesus able to endure all that life can throw at us? Will we be like Job when we face our suffering and can we hold firm to God despite all the pain and loss that is a part of living?
No person, thing, or situation can separate us from the love of Jesus... only ourselves. In His arms we rest for all time, and what lies beyond time itself, if we choose to remain faithful to him. The strength of our love must carry us into, and through, death itself. Paul goes on to write on the subject of transcending death in his letter to the Romans… listen:
“As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Romans 8:36 KJV
I remember a video of a group of Coptic Christians being beheaded for their faith on a beach by ISIS. The scene was horrific but had an unrealized consequence for the murderers... it reinforced to the world the depth of the faith and love for Christ that these men who were martyred possessed. It showed their unrelenting love for Jesus Christ and their trust in God’s promise of eternity. Romeo and Juliet is a story that ends in tragedy. Two young lovers take their own lives out of love for one another; and in the eyes of the world are lost in death. What happened on the beach that day in Libia was not a Romeo and Juliet story... there was no misunderstanding, there was no innocent heartbreak, and there was no lost love. What we witnessed was a scene in which lives were taken here on earth and how the loving souls within them were delivered to a God who waited patiently in love for them. The men who knelt that day never doubted the love, nor eternity that awaited them.
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39 KJV
Is this our faith too? Is this our love? Do we love God as much as He loves us? Will we stand against all the things that men believe will separate us from the love of Christ our Savior? We know the faithfulness of Jesus; He reveals it to us every day. We trust that our Father God is faithful beyond measure, and that the love of Jesus is too. Is there any wonder that Psalms 117 is only comprised of two verses? The reason this Psalm is so short is because it requires no flowery language or lengthy oration to convince us that it is absolute truth...
“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 117:1-2 ESV
Do we love God as He loves us? Is our trust in Him capable of surviving death and entering into eternity with Him?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your unwavering love for me, and for your Son Jesus Christ who gave His life that I might find forgiveness and redemption in you. Lord, help me to be strong in my faith and love. Lead me as I face each challenge in life and help me to use them to strengthen our relationship as I remain in your presence forevermore. Never let me falter when faced by circumstances that might lead some from your side... let my faithfulness endure all things. Whether large or small, give me the perseverance and character I need to rebut them. I pray that my love for you is complete and will conquer all that comes against it. Abba, my love for you is my greatest joy and my greatest desire is to rest in it with you for eternity. Strengthen me in my belief and help me in my unbelief as I long to abide lovingly in you through all my suffering, even unto death, knowing that I will be resurrected with Christ. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who was, and is, and is to come. Your love conquers all, makes my path straight, lights my way, and never ends. Praised be your name Father, and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that if ever I should face martyrdom I will stand firm in my faith so that all will see the truth in your love for me, and mine for you.
Amen, Amen, Amen!
Rich Forbes