Perfect Love

Apache Lake, Arizona

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?

Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity,

or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger,

or threatened with death?

Romans 8:35 (NLT)

In this life we all experience numerous inconsistencies.  It seems that things are always going wrong.  Our friend calls it the "20% mess up factor."  Or maybe it seems like the 100% of Murphy's law, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."  Life is just like that.  It is so imperfect.  The people in our lives are inconsistent, too. One minute they may be kind and considerate, the next irritating and critical.  Even though we know this to be true, we often experience frustration when things go wrong or people let us down. For some reason, we still have the expectation that things should always go smoothly and we shouldn't be inconvenienced or slowed down by unexpected events.  Or on the other hand, we might develop a "poor me" attitude, always expecting the worst and feeling that we are an "accident ready to happen" at any moment. This kind of thinking leads to a sense of dread that leaves us feeling very insecure.

The good news is that Jesus has planned a better way for us to face the day.  Through our contact with him, we can be in a place undisturbed by the current state of affairs.  Our security and stability are not based on our circumstances or how we are treated, but by the utterly secure foundation of God's constant, unfailing and perfect love.  Nothing can come our way that can ever disturb the steady stream of God's love surrounding us. In the face of uncertainty and inconsistency he is unfailingly constant creating for us a haven of peace and security.

Lord, help us to tap into that steady stream of love that is constantly flowing towards us no matter what we are going through. 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love—

indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)