Romans 8:35-39 (Amplified Bible)
35Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?
36Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
38For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I sat tonight listening to a song, that was about love and how that particular type of love afforded someone strength to stay through the ups and the downs, and when no one else was around. Immediately my mind went to God's love for us and how no matter what He has staying power. He loves us even when we up and when we fall. God's love has the ability to be present in the worst of times and in the best of times, ( it is not like human love that has a tendency to falter and not stay). When we are in a good place, God is there, but He is also calling to us when we decide to take a turn that leads us off the path that he has chosen. I have learned to recognize that even in our sin, stubbornness and disobedience, when grace and mercy step in, that is God being ever present for us, and with us.
But then as I continued to hear the words of the song, God spoke to me and questioned me (as He does in such a God like way), "will you stay with me, through your ups and downs, are you with me when no one else is around or when people are around." Recently I have been challenged in several different areas of my life, everything from my physical person to my job. The things that have happened could have made me question my relationship with God and where God was in all of this, but instead it has done something totally opposing to what would have been a normal reaction. It has caused me to view my relationship with God differently and to value my relationship in a way I had not done before. This things have caused me to do more to preserve our relationship. I have also recognized that whether in the midst of crisis or in the days when almost all seems well, I will stay with God. There is a determination to walk with Him, in-spite of what I feel like. I have purposed that my relationship with God will not decrease or lessen, nor will the love that I have for Him. You see God has been good to me, and He has held up His end of the relationship even when I have not. So is it too much that even when I am going through and He is silent that I would still give Him praise and worship Him, because of who He is? Not by any means!
For many of us there is something, someone or a combination of the two that have been causing us not to stay with God. It has caused us to walk away in elements and areas of our lives. For some of us we have abandon God in our hearts, although our lips still utter His name. Isn't it time we make up in our minds to stay with God, to hang in their in our relationship with Him through His son Jesus Christ, as He has done so many days and nights with us. Even in this season as the heat is turned up in so many of our lives and that it seems like we can not see a dawning of a day that does not bring some sort of challenge, it is our responsibility to stay with God, through the ups downs and all arounds. You and I may realize it or not, but it is a privilege and it is a Blessing, to stay while we are going through, because God never allows things to come without a reason. Today is a good day to evaluate our staying power, in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and adjust our level of commitment to God and all that means.Isn't it time that we are as true to Him as He is to us? It is time to say to Him, "yes Lord, I will stay with you, through it all!"
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