6/26

Romans 8:35

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Following Jesus does not exempt us from suffering. In fact, we are more likely to suffer physically as Christians. This is the same chapter in which Paul wrote that God will not withhold any good thing from us. Because God is sovereign over the details of our lives, the list of difficulties in our verse for today must in some way be good for our eternal well-being. If the love of Christ is with us in the midst of these situations, what do we have to fear? And if our suffering is for His sake (Romans 8:36), then we are sure to be storing up our treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

If you are looking for a life of physical comfort, you won't find it in Christ. But living for comfort will bring soul distress that comes with unbelief. When you live with the uncertainties of health, financial markets, wars, and most importantly eternal judgment, life can be quite uncomfortable. To have the love of God means that in whatever comes our way, we will have the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the peace of being in God's will. Instead of the fearful expectation of what will come when we pass from this life, we will look forward to that day.

None of us can tell what tomorrow holds, but believers know who holds tomorrow. With the certainty that nothing can separate us from His love and knowing He knows all, sees all, and has all power, we lay our heads down at night and sleep in peace. Paul goes on to declare that even when believers are in difficulty, they are more than conquerors.

Consider: What would a person gain if he or she had a perfectly comfortable life but lost their eternal soul (Matthew 16:26)?