"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38 & 39)
In the visualization meditation described on p.50, I reflected on this passage and thought about how the powers of darkness seem to constantly try to separate me from the Love of Christ. Advertisements are constantly (especially with today being "Black Friday") attempting to entice me to spend money on items I simply do not need when I could share that money with God for a better purpose. The ever present silicon boxes (TV, Internet, etc.) seem to encourage me to squander time - something more precious than money - in isolation instead of being out and about, interacting with friends and loved ones. And of course, the great tempter is always invading my thoughts, encouraging me to think badly of people.
But here in the Bible, Paul tells me that all these things don't have the power to separate me from God's love. In fact, they only have the power I give them. The reason is explained earlier in Romans chapter 8. As a Christians, we're not controlled by sinful forces or by my sinful nature. Instead, we are controlled by the Holy Spirit.
When we ponder and meditate on this passage, we realize that our present difficulties are nothing compared to the Glory of God which awaits us.
(Editor's note: While you're planning your shopping excursion, consider www.heifer.org and give someone a goat, pig or cow)
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