Peace Hurts.

Romans 8:35-39. Peace hurts.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37 (NKJV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Often not considered is the fact that people, things, and circumstances, can drive separation in our relationship with God. Never does God grow cold in His love towards us; it is us who grow cold to Him. Therefore the answer to our question is nothing can stop God from loving us; no sin, no wrong, no person, nothing can ever stop Him from loving us. With that being said, today we look at things that can change our feelings towards God.

Jesus warned His disciples saying, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 (NKJV)

The soul is a target for the enemy who knows that as people we are subject to passion. Therefore, evil continually invades our privacy trying to seduce us into lifestyle choices that we should not make. The father who becomes involved in internet pornography faces ruin and possibilities of losing his family should they discover his perverted ways.

The free spirited wine drinker can have their attraction to spirits take a turn to for the worst and what started at a connoisseur level can cascade from attraction to addiction; leaving a path of ruin in the life that could have been wonderfully filled. In this case the slow change in lifestyle draws one away from godliness and towards harm. For some, the separation does not seem too large until many years have passed one by.

There are many things that have this effect in our life. They start small, innocent, and clean, yet turn a person away from God with intentions of fulfilling their life with something else. We give terms as "workaholic," "obsessed," and "eccentric" to describe people who have gone over the deep end chasing their passion and this quality to act this way is in us all.

In our passage, Paul speaks towards tribulation, distress, famine, nakedness, peril, and death, making an assault on their minds and ensures them that those these may happen, their fortitude in their relationship with God will not falter. For these Christians were a persecuted people and many were those who would threaten their lives, tempting them to deny Christ.

In our life, people deny Christ without threats and many have lost their commitment to Christianity. The simplest of pleasures become irresistible and their relationship with Christ is shelved as they indulge in pleasure to feed their flesh.

Case in point, the tithe. Churches suffer because a large number of families who spend their money on commitments to themselves and not God. The family vacation takes front seat and the ministry to hurting people sits behind. If you were to sum up the budget as a tabled dinner, God is given scraps like what you would feed the family dog.

This brings up a great problem that we face as people. There is evidence that in times of peace, people become distant in their relationship with God and yet in times of peril, that relationship is strong. We pray for peace, yet the very peace we gain hurts the way we live.

In my country, the food left on the table and thrown into the garbage could feed many nations; yet a collapse in the economy would stop the waste and those who lived carelessly, would gain respect quickly.

Paul was urging Christians to count their relationship with Christ worth losing their life for. In Rome Christians were jailed and then prepared for the coliseum, then dragged before audiences who cheered there death.

Meat was tied to them and wild animals would be released to chase them through mazes in the center arena. For the Christian it was fight of be killed and to the Roman it was a slaughter that brought entertainment. Knowing this Paul encourages them that though they may suffer death, it cannot separate them from the love of God.

Reflecting on our lives and the lifestyles we live, many of us are far removed from persecution of our faith. Yet many carelessly parade through riches, possessions, and feasting, as they watch others starving, hurting, and without.

They see the elderly shut in, the poor shut out, the homeless, the orphans, the widows, and the needs of people sick, in prison, and hurting; but instead of rising to help, they watch on as people live and die. To some they give thumbs up and give morsels of help, to others they give thumbs down and banish them from thought. It is on these things, they will be judged.

Christ spoke about the Day of Judgment giving this criteria for who will be saved. He said, "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:41-46 (NKJV)

Though we live in a Donald Trump society that lavishes in riches, we must continue to hold ourselves accountable. As Paul taught the Christians to endure persecution we must endure the temptations to become sucked up into the abyss of human ruin.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)

Our relationship with God must be held in high honor and our commitment to Him must guide our life, order the events of our day, and continually motivate us to look to do His work. Life can become overwhelming and we can get caught up in the machine of society becoming like they who do not think about God.

Who shall separate us from the love of God is a question that works both ways. God will always love us, but will we always love God?