Daily Devotional For Monday, May 12, 2025
Merry Monday morning. Well, for many of you, you are back either at work or school or both. If you are retired, make the most of today to the Lord’s glory. For today, let’s look at Romans 8:35-39:
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (36) Just as it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ (37) But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. (38) For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NASB).
Has there ever been a time or times in your life when you felt that God was nowhere to be found or was around? There are times when others, life and even our own selves bring chaos and confusion are our unfortunate companions. There are times when God does seem silent even though He is not. I have learned a good lesson in life: silence can say a lot. Our feelings often direct and control our beliefs rather than our beliefs controlling our feelings. In these cases, we need to trust God and His Word as in Romans 8:35-39.
Paul’s words in Romans 8:35-38 are almost prophetic because in just a few short years, Rome would turn on Christian and regard them as sheep to be slaughtered. The tribulation, trouble and persecution Rome inflicted on those early believers is unimaginable. When bad and evil things happen to us, we may ask, “Where is the Lord?” In, the Apostle Paul lists seven possibilities that we think might separate us from the love of God. He had endured all seven of them. Look at 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.
Pain – none of us like it. It’s like after having a medical procedure such as a surgery, the surgeon will say to you, “You’re going to have some pain in that area. That is normal, so don’t worry.” And when the pain comes you know not to call the doctor unless it is unbearable. When it comes to our Christian faith, the Apostle Paul says we are like “sheep to be slaughtered.” Sheep are vulnerable. They cannot defend themselves against predators such as wolves. Can you imagine a sheep and a wolf going head-to-head and the sheep won? We conquer because the “Lamb of God” conquered life for us. How could Jesus do that? The Bible uses another metaphor to describe Him. He is the Lion of Judah. See Revelation 5:5-6.
In verse 38 Paul says, “I am convinced . . .” “Convince” is the Greek New Testament word [πείθω, peitho]. This verb is in the perfect tense in Greek, indicating that something occurred in the past with ongoing results in the present. In verse 36, Paul quotes from Psalm 44:22. So, in his autobiographical testimony, Paul affirms that we are never alone or away from God and His love. NEVER!
John Chyrsostom was a devout Christian who died in 407 AD. He was arrested for sharing the Gospel and being a Christian. When he was before the Emperor Of Rome, he understood what it meant “we are more than conquerors.” Early church historians wrote down that conversation:
“When Chrysostom was brought before the Roman Emperor, the Emperor threatened him with banishment if he remained a Christian. Chrysostom replied, “Thou canst not banish me for this world is my father’s house.” “But I will slay thee,” said the Emperor. “Nay, thou canst not,” said the noble champion of the faith, “for my life is hid with Christ in God.” “I will take away thy treasures.” “Nay, but thou canst not for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.” “But I will drive thee away from man and thou shalt have no friend left.” “Nay, thou canst not, for I have a friend in heaven from whom thou canst not separate me. I defy thee; for there is nothing that thou canst do to hurt me” (Source: Alan F. Johnson, The Freedom Letter, p. 136, who quotes from Henry Hart Milman, History of Christianity, p. 144).
When he died on September 14, 407 AD, his last words were: "Glory to God for all things!" Those all things included the persecution and mistreatment by Rome. God’s inspired words to Paul in Romans 8:35-38 have inspired so many people through the years.
“Philipp Melanchthon, as a reformer along with Martin Luther who stood up to the Roman Catholic Church with their false doctrine on “indulgences”, purgatory and salvation., suffered severe criticism at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church. His motto along with Luther was “Sola fide” – only through faith and “sola gratia” – only by grace are we saved – not by the church or a priest or a pope. When he died on April 19, 1560 AD, he died with verse 31 on his lips. Exactly 100 years later John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, sat at his desk in deep depression wondering if he could go on, worrying about the future, when the same text came to his rescue. “I remember,” he says, “that I was sitting in a neighbor’s home, and was very sad, that word came suddenly to me. ‘What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ That was a help to me” (Source: Frank W. Boreham, A Casket of Cameos, pp. 96-97).
Assignment: For the next few days, leave this passage, Romans 8:35-38, open where you are at home and at work. Read each day and even several times a day. Let this truth permeate your heart and your soul. Pray that the Holy Spirit will heal your wound where others have hurt, harmed and harassed you. I have no idea how things will completely unfold for you, but I can assure that as you trust these words and reflect on them, they will in time prove themselves true to you. Their richness will help your impoverished soul.
Scripture To Meditate On: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, (18) while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, when life comes at me and I feel so alone, I am going to trust Your Word that I am not. I am going to trust that I am more than a conqueror through You. I pray that I will know you intimately, not just know about You. Thank You that You have purpose in everything, even my pain. I love You Lord, In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly