I have about 30 min before I have to head out for work.
I just wanted to share something that has been getting me through this past month.
In Romans 8 Paul asks the question : If God is for us, who can be against us?
of course if we are believers we all automatically go… no one, of course. easy. right?
For many, the simple answer is just not meaningful, It doesn’t leave a mark in our hearts and minds. Apparently it wasn’t enough for Paul either.
Paul goes on and says in verse 35,

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

Then he goes on and does something that might confuse us. He quotes a psalm and says, you know guys, its even written in our scriptures “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” e

at first glance it seems as if paul is making a point that is antithetical to what he is trying to prove. Why talk about Gods love and then use a quote about us being killed and slaughtered like sheep, all for his sake?

If we look deeper we find what paul is communicating.
He says … tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, death… these things have been the lot of Gods people for centuries. EVEN OUR ANCESTORS WROTE ABOUT THEM!

Traditionally, suffering through trials and hardships of life has been a part of following Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us himself to ” take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Paul goes on in verse 37 and uses my favorite greek word in the entire new testament. he calls us “hypernikao”

u’per – meaning over and beyond
nikao – meaning victorious, having the victory, a conqueror.

he says “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Paul says, even through these sufferings and these hardships of life that are bound to come – we can face life with complete confidence – because We are are OVER and BEYOND VICTORIOUS, we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through Christ