More than Conquerors (I heart you)

Hey guys - time for another I <3 U post. The last one can be found here! I have to admit, I've not been staying on top of my blogging or even thinking about it, really. This cookie thing plus school has taken up a lot of my time! It's really hard balancing it all, but I'm learning how to. So, anyway, today I sat down at my desk to rest and get some school reading done, but decided to pick up my bible first. I'm trying to get through Jeremiah right now, so I read a chapter or two there and then flipped to the New Testament. This week I've been flipping through Paul's letters to the different churches not really sticking to one solid book or chapter, for that matter. Today I found myself in Romans 8:28-39 and it captured my attention. So much so, that I pretty much underlined the entire section of Scripture. So go ahead, grab a bible, visit biblegateway.com, and listen to this song as you read.

Verse 28 is a pretty 'famous' verse, it's very well known. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who ahve been called according to his purpose." A footnote in my bible says "...God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good" which I thought was pretty interesting. God works together with us? Most of the time we view it either as God working for us, granting our every wish, or us working for God, doing everything and anything he asks us to do. But this says that our relationship is mutual, God works with us to do good. He wants to accomplish things with us and for us, but primarily for His glory.

Now, the next 2 verses are a little tricky. They have to do with predestination, which is something that there is a lot of conflict or debate about in the church. Some people say that predestination could not be because Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 to pray for all people, that they may be saved. If everyone is already predestined to salvation, what's the point in praying for them? I don't have time to go into all of this, and honestly, I don't know whether we're predestined or not, but research it a bit more if it interests you. Here is a sermon from John Wesley himself, about it.

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies." (Romans 8:31-33) We can't find satisfaction or validation in other people. 'It is God who justifies' God didn't spare his son, he gave him up so that we could be with him. We are validated in Christ. He holds our worth and he showed that by sending his Son.

I love this next part, "Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life -" I can just see Paul scribbling out the 'who died' section of it and re-writing 'who was raised to life'. That's the power of God. He didn't die, He's alive! "is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Christ is interceding for us, he's rooting for us. His death was an intercession on our behalf. He intervened on our behalf. "Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" No way! Christ went through all of that for us and He did it all in love, we can't let all of these things listed above get in the way! They can't get in the way, Christ already has and will defeat them again!

Let me leave you with the last 3 verses. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angls nor demons, neither the present nor the futurem nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)

We are MORE than conquerors!
~Jessica