Another Year of Choices
By Barbara Dahlgren
In the book of Romans, we are asked a rhetorical question: “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) Truthfully, nothing can separate us from Christ’s love, which is revealed as we read further in this passage: “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 8:35-39)
We cannot be separated from God’s love because He loves us regardless. He loves us whether we are good or bad, whether we win or lose, or whether times are smooth or rough. Whether we believe it or not, God loves us! He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for us. Jesus Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and there is no greater love than to die for someone. (Romans 5:8; John 15:13) So God loves us. It’s a given. No matter what happens, God loves us.
As Christians, perhaps the more important question to ask ourselves is whether or not we will still love God when hardships come? Don’t kid yourself into thinking Christians are immune from trials and distress. Hardships are a given in life whether we are saints or sinners. The Christian life was never promised to be without difficulties. Will we love God during the bad times as well as the good?
Our biblical forefathers must have thought about this as well. Here are some of their conclusions:
Micah: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” (Micah 7:8)
Job: “Then said his wife unto him, ‘Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die.’ But he said unto her, ‘Thou speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10)
Habakkuk: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: When faced with the possibility of being burned alive, they basically said they knew God was able to deliver them. However, if God chose not to deliver them, it was okay with them. (Daniel 3:16-18) They would love and praise God no matter what God decided to do.
Consider this… Loving and praising God is not so much about good times or bad times, or whether we win or lose. It’s about loving Him no matter what. After all, that’s the kind of love He gives to us!
Suggestions for practicing this choice…
- Get rid of the notion that God exists to give you everything you want.
- If God denies you something, even if you can’t understand why, remember He loves you. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. He knows what is best. (Isaiah 55:8)
- Nowhere in the Bible does it say Christians won’t have to go through some hard stuff. It just says that we will never have to go through it alone because God will always be with us. (Hebrews 13:5)
- Don’t wait for a trial or hardship to come to make a decision to follow Jesus regardless. Decide now how you will handle trials when they come.
- When trials come, and trials always come, ask God for His strength to keep that decision.
