Think Thinking on God’s Love

Think

Thinking on God’s Love

God’s love gave us all creation and look what we did with it and to it

But greater than all creation and the provisions

The greatest thing God gives us is His love

For every suffering in Romans 8

Paul thinks of God the Father, the Spirit, and the Son’s love for us

When you know the love of God you will never think of being separated from Him

You will think of the many ways you are united with Him

Knowing and thinking of God’s love will always bring hope and peace 

Hang on to the love of God, there is nothing greater

Romans 8:39 NIV

…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What are you thinking about?

Thinking on God’s Love

What is the most important

thing you think about God?

What is the most important thing

God wants you to know about Him?

I can think about His power

to create, power over the devil.

The provisions He has supplied.

Out of all the things I can think about God,

 one word stands out as most important…

Love

Romans 8 is a favorite verse of all Christians…

Freedom of the law and death

The power of God’s Spirit to renew our

minds and fill our thoughts with peace.

The Spirit of God that leads

us to become the sons of God…

Giving us the right to call God, Abba Father.

The rights of the Children of God, making

us heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ…

Set free from the spirit of fear.

Filled with expectation and hope.

After you get about half way through

Romans 8, we read of our weaknesses…

The frustrations of the earth.

We face death all day long.

This is heavy stuff of trouble and hardships.

The last two verses says…

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.

 Romans 8:38-39

Amazingly, God did not take us out

of the world when He took His Son.

God left us here in a world where

suffering and pain is common.

And Paul writes…

…will be able to separate us from the love

of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing is able to separate

us from the love of God.

A little child became angry at his

dad when things did not go his way.

The child without thinking says, “I hate you”.

The father is hurt, but his love remains the same.

The child later realized his father’s love

is more important than things going his way.

More important then getting things that make him (us) happy.

This is what Paul is saying in the

midst of all our suffering and pain…

No, in all these things we are more than

conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8:37

Because of God’s love we face…

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or

 famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Romans 8:35

We are not separated from the love of Christ because…

Nothing is greater than His love.

The sufferings in this life are meant to harm

you and I so we might think God does not love you.

But each one of those hard times are working

for your good because you and I realize

nothing is greater than God’s love.

There are many ways to show love.

 God had to find a way to let us know He loves us.

So He sent His Son in human form like us.

He taught us of heavenly things.

He showed us He was never

separated from the Father’s love.

God’s love for us was demonstrated to us

while we were sinners and children of the devil.

The demonstration of His love came

through His rejection and death for our sins.

It was in these words of Jesus on the cross in

his last moments of life that he says…

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”

That we see God showed us His love was so

great He would sacrifice His Son for us.

When you read Romans 8, you can think of

the sufferings of this world and think God

how could you allow these things to happen.

 

But Paul as he thinks of the sufferings,

finds his thoughts on God’s love.

For every suffering in Romans 8, Paul thinks of

God the Father, the Spirit, and the Son’s love for us.

When you know the love of God you will

never think of being separated from Him.

 You will think of the many

ways you are united with Him.

Knowing and thinking of God’s love

will always bring hope and peace.

  

Hang on to the love of God,

 there is nothing greater.

Romans 8:39 NIV…

…nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love

of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What are you thinking about?

Scripture Reading

Romans 8:1-9:1 NIV

8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,   2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,   4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,  Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."  

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 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.