Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Romans 8:31-39,
“31 What, then, Shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He 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? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who 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. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither 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.”
Understand:
Let’s end by reviewing everything we’ve covered this week. As we do, think about your own life and how each point intersects. Ask God to bring to mind anything He wants you to take away from the week. Let this passage fill you with confidence and strengthen you. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with courage as you walk faithfully with Christ.
God is for us—think about that! Think about all He has done…about His power, His Glory, and His majesty. He doesn’t change. He’s not fickle; He does what He says He will do. This is the God who is for you; the One who is on your side.
He didn’t spare His own Son, but He gave Him up for us all. Understand this: He did it for you, to make a way for you to be made right with Him.
He graciously gives us all things—our ultimate good, our final glory with all that God Himself provides to bring us to that glory. Let that sink in.
Nothing in the entire universe will separate us from the love that is in Christ Jesus. What God has done and said, will come to be, you can count on it. There is nothing that will ever be able to separate you from the love of Christ… nothing! This is not some feel-good Christian cliché…it’s reality. It’s just as real as the air you’re breathing right now. But just because it is real, it doesn’t mean that we get a pass on suffering. Suffering is part of the Christian life while we’re on this side of eternity. We will have troubles, but these troubles do nothing to separate us from God; they’re powerless. We will endure them for a little while, but one day we will be free from them…that’s a promise. As we look back on them, they will seem like a distant memory when compared to eternity. You are secure in Christ—absolutely secure. You can rest in Him no matter what circumstance you face.
Apply:
*From what you have just read and considered, what is a personal implication/application for your life today?
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the Gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live out this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the Good News today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.
Inspiration and insight for the devotionals came from the following books: Reading Romans with John Stott; The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World (The Bible Speaks Today Series), Stott, John; Romans (The NIV Application Commentary Book 6) Moo, Douglas J.; Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Survey (Encountering Biblical Studies) Moo, Douglas J.; Believers Bible Commentary; The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, with the New International Version, Romans through Galatians; NIV Application Study Bible. The Cambridge Bible Commentary, Romans, Best, Ernest.