September 30

The Talisman Of Victory

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. — Rom 8:37 BSB

"Can anything separate me from the love of Christ?" This is the only question St. Paul deems worth considering. In Romans 8:38-39, he examines the extreme conditions of life, knowing they encompass all that lies between. First, he interrogates Existence—“death and life”; next, created Intelligences—“angels, principalities, and powers”; then the extremes of Time—“things present, things to come”; Space—“height and depth”; and finally, the entire created Universe—“any other creature.” Each of these extremes is tested. Like a man inspecting every link of a chain before swinging out over an abyss, Paul carefully tests them all and concludes that none of them can sever us from the love of God.

We often misjudge God’s love, thinking that our distresses, sufferings, sins, or failures might lessen it. But just as a mother is most concerned for her weakest child, so in this world, pain, death, sin, and failure do not separate us from God’s love but instead draw us closer to it.

Oh, the blessed love that comes down to us from the heart of Jesus, the essence of the eternal love of God! Nothing can staunch it, exhaust it, or intercept it. It is not our love for Him, but His love for us that endures. Nothing can separate us from this love. He will continue to love us forever, pouring into us His life and glory. Whatever our difficulties, whatever our weakness, we will remain steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. We will gain by our losses, succeed through our failures, triumph in our defeats, and be more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

Prayer

Yes, through life, through sorrow, and through sinning,
He shall suffice me, for He has sufficed:
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning,
Christ is the beginning, for the end is Christ.