Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Rom 8:35 KJV)
I was blessed in being able to take some time away this week to attend the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) Pastor's Conference in Orlando. The theme was "always be ready." Be ready for what? How about always be ready to share what you believe? Always be ready to share the good news with others.
One of the speakers, Rev. Dr. Dennis DiMauro, wondered if we were prepared to respond to someone wanting to know what is so different about Christianity, what is so great about Jesus. Rev. DiMauro summed it up in one word: love!
Nothing, as Paul wrote to the Romans, can separate us from the love of Christ! It does not matter what we have done or even what we do today or will ever do. Jesus will always love us. He loves us so much that even knowing how we would reject him and deny him over and over again he was willing to be persecuted, suffer, and die so that we might be reconciled to our Father in heaven. It is not something that we can earn for ourselves. But, he could. He did it out of his great and unconditional love for all human-kind.
Other religions tend to have some kind of works based system whereby we can earn our way to heaven by our works. Some believe that we can change ourselves. No... It does not work that way. We are sinners through and through. There is nothing we can do to pay for our sins. Ours sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ painfully; yet lovingly, shed on the cross for us. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!
What is so different about Jesus! Jesus loves us enough to die for us and nothing can separate us from his love! While we were dead in our sins he gave his us his all. He gave us his life. He gives us life. He gives us love.
God's Peace - Pr. J.
