February 2018 ⋆ Covenant Life Church of God

Nothing Shall Separate Us From Christ

Romans 8:31-39

31 So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. 34 Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36 As the Scriptures say,

“For you we are in danger of death all the time.

People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.”

37 But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from Jesus Christ!

The realization that once we accept Jesus as Savior we become inseparable from Him is so exciting! Though we live in different worlds for now, we are connected by the Holy Spirit. We have a union between our spirit and His. What a wondrous truth. When reading Romans chapter 8, we find a whole list of what we are in Him. The most exciting one is that NOTHING can separate us—ever! We need to grasp that fact with both hands and rejoice in it. It should make us more fearless. It should calm all the anxiety of feeling alone or cut off. Let us walk in this precious truth with a joyful and thankful heart.

Love Includes Honor

When we speak of love, we need to look at some of the traits of love. Pastor Dennis Langford asked us recently what we were doing to prove our love for the Lord. If we have to provide proof of our love what does that entail? Could we show our works of love? Have we invested our hearts in others to prove we care?

One trait that really gets ignored in some love relationships is honor. Honor and respect seem to be missing in some of our relationships. It seems we take for granted that the recipient of our love automatically knows we love them. We seem shocked if they question our love for them. When analyzing my own love walk toward others, one of the things the Lord brought to my attention was the lack of showing honor and respect to and for others.

Honor is to regard another person with admiration and respect. When we freely express both in our hearts and outwardly this admiration, it opens a new avenue of love. No one wants to be disrespected or made to feel “less than” in another person’s life. Even a stranger on the street deserves the consideration of respect. If we treat our family, spouse and Christian brothers and sisters with a lack of honor and respect, we are actually treating Jesus that way. We are His representatives here on the earth and everything we do reflects on Him.

What about dishonorable people?

We may say, “What if they are not honorable?” Jesus treated all of us as though we were the best reason for being. Those in our personal circle deserve our utmost respect and honor, if only because they have accepted us into their lives. They love us in spite of all our quirkiness and unlovely parts. When we can show our love by openly honoring their words to us, the many things they do for us and the love they give us freely, we are acting like Jesus. We are also leading by example to those who don’t know how to walk the walk of honor and respect. May our hearts start opening up to actively showing honor to those in our love circle.

Here are some Scripture verses about honor:

Deuteronomy 5:16

Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Proverbs 3:9

Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase:

Proverbs 11:16

A gracious woman retaineth honor: and strong men retain riches.

Proverbs 14:31

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoreth him hath mercy on the poor.

Proverbs 21:21

He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honor.

1 Timothy 5:3

Honor widows that are widows indeed.

1 Timothy 5:17

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.

Hebrews 13:4

Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

1 Peter 2:17

Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Crown of Righteousness

Crown Of Righteousness

2 Timothy 4:8

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only,

but unto all them also that love his appearing.

A Crown of Righteousness

A Crown of Righteousness seems like an impossible dream to those of us living in a very dark and sinful world. A world where sinful acts are celebrated and published for the whole world to see. A world where infants in the womb are not safe, old people are abandoned and left on their own, where citizens are concerned about walking in their own towns for fear of attack. Poverty and lack abounds all over the world. Yet in the midst of all that the Bible promises we can live a righteous life. How can that happen?

When Jesus took our place on the cross of Calvary, He took all our sins and bore the punishment of them. He replaced hopelessness with hope and joy. He became sin that we can become righteous through Him. It is not how “good” we are, how many works we do for Him that make us righteous. Rather it the finished work of the Cross of Christ. We have become righteous in Him. I love the way Paul the Apostle puts it. He was pursuing righteousness. His heart was following hard after Jesus Christ. His old ways were pushed out of the way as he pursued Jesus. He was determined to win that “crown of righteousness”. Let us take up that same call today. Let us pursue Jesus and the work of righteousness in our own lives.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;

that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Philippians 3:8-14

⁸Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, ⁹And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: ¹⁰That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ¹¹If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. ¹²Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. ¹³Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The Place of Joyfulness

The Place Of Joyfulness

Psalm 100

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Where is our place of joyfulness?

Where is our place of joyfulness? Is it a physical place? Can we structure our lives to include a physical place to be joyful? Is it our family dinner table when the family is gathered there? Is it a front porch swing where we enjoy the singing of the birds and the neighbors passing by? How about a quiet place in our home we go to pray and study the Word of God? While in any of these places joy can be found, they cannot produce it.

Joyfulness is a choice and a gift at the same time. The Lord brings us joy by being in our lives. When we reflect on who God is and what He has done in our lives, joy automatically shows up. Whether or not we receive that joy, participate and fully respond to it, is our choice. The Bible is filled with verses about joy, how to receive it and how it can be restored. It even declares that God inhabits our praises! Talk about a place of joy. The wonder of the Creator and Lord of all, living in our praises and also respecting our response to Him, should fill our hearts with joy. (Psalm 22:3) The prophet Nehemiah had a revelation of joy in a different way. In Nehemiah 8:10 he declares that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The thought of strength filling us through the joy of the Lord should resound in us like an anthem.

When we choose to be a joyful person, we also choose to share it with others. How can our joy not spill out on others? It is so contagious that just getting near a joyful person causes us to be lifted up. Let us choose the joyful places in life rather than bitterness and sorrow. Let us allow the Lord’s own joy be our strength. Father God, help us to start spreading joy everywhere we go. Ready? Let’s get going!

How Is Your Love Walk?

Ephesians 5

1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; ²And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

What Does A Love Walk Look Like?

Have you ever wondered how your love walk looks to the Lord Jesus? When we are following Him with the best of our ability, through our eyes we may see failure or success according to our emotions. But, what does the Lord see? What does our family see? What does the world around us see? Does that sound like a painful place to consider? We judge ourselves through flesh eyes so many times, never checking out our heart. Are our hearts following hard after the Lord? Do we desire to please Him? Are we allowing Him to lead us into a spiritual life rather than staying in the flesh?

If we can answer those questions through the eyes of faith, we might see a different picture. All those little acts of kindness that have become a part of who we are in Christ are usually blind to us. We are no longer looking for pats on the back, but just want to reach out to others. Those times we reached out in prayer in the darkness of the night for friends and family are a heart habit. All those kind thoughts we have for our fellow believers just grow there the more we follow Christ Jesus.

Do we fail to walk in love all the time? Of course we do, we have not reached a place of perfection and won’t till after we reach Heaven. Our heart goal on this side is be more like Christ Jesus. I love the verse in Acts 10:38 that describes the acts of Jesus on earth. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” If we want to be like Jesus and walk in love, we need to start doing the same things. In our everyday life, share the love we have received from God with those we meet.

The hardest two areas to walk in love are with family and strangers. Our family knows all our secrets and delight sometimes to point out all our faults in front of others. To walk in love in those kinds of moments takes the grace of God and the decision not to respond in kind. By setting a holy example before our families, we can change the atmosphere at home. When strangers curse us and act in anger or disrespect it is equally hard to walk in love. Our heart cry can change to one of “let me see them through Your eyes, Lord.” Romans 5:5 declares that “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” We are not alone in our love walk. The Holy Ghost is here to help us learn to be like Jesus.

In this “LOVE” month, let us strive to understand just what that really means. How much love did it take the Father to allow his beloved son, Jesus to die on the cross for us? How can we show more love to our part of the world? Lord God, help us to fulfill the commandment Jesus left us, to “love one another”.