More than Conquerors

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

                   ‘for your sake we face death all day long;

We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Romans 8:35-37(NIV)

Paul cites possible circumstances that could happen to a church. The church at Rome eventually did go through these situations. Paul’s purpose for writing these words was to remind the Roman believers of God’s infinite love for those who believe in Him.  No matter what happens, God’s love is real and lasting.

In her book, One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp relates her experience of ministering to a homeless man on the streets of Toronto. The man had a dog-eared Gideon Bible in the duffel bag he carried. He asked one of the teenage girls to read aloud Romans 7-8, which she did. When the girl reached a certain point, this homeless man echoed each line that she read. Ann and the youth were there to minister to him; he ministered to them.  

It impressed me that this man, who lived on the streets, had experienced God’s love and knew the Word. It gives me a new aspect to consider when I think about those without a home.

A little over thirty years ago, I took a personal leave from the job I had; after the leave ended, I resigned. I remember telling people I wanted to survive the stress and mental fatigue I dealt with. I slowly realized I didn’t just want to survive; I wanted more. Then I discovered this passage.

“More than conquerors,” that means more than just getting by, it means surmounting those harsh circumstances and giving thanks for our new-found knowledge that Jesus loves us and will stand beside us in every circumstance we face.

The Love of God

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Rooted and Established in Love

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

 may have power, with all the saints, to grasp how wide

 and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and

 to know this love that surpasses all knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17b-19 (NIV)

”And I pray. . .” Paul talked to the Lord about the people who were in the Ephesian church. As Christians we have an obligation to pray for those on the front line in spiritual warfare- the pastors, the missionaries, the church leaders, and those serious about their faith. Jesus set the example to pray for all those who believe in Him (John 17:20, NIV)

“. . . you, being rooted and established in love. . . The first century believers came to Christ because of God’s love. They became stronger as they grew in knowledge of His love.

In our 21st Century world, we strive to allow our roots to go deeper into Christ each day.

“. . . may have power. . .” When we ask Jesus into our lives, we relinquish our self- power for the power God gives us through the Holy Spirit. God told Paul that He works best when we, His children, are weak. We have strength because of the Lord.

“. . . with all the saints. . .”Paul may be talking about those who had been martyred When they came to Christ. We are not alone; we join others who, like us, love the Lord. Also, there are those in our cloud of witnesses, friends and loved ones who have gone on ahead.

“ . . to grasp. . .” When we learn of Jesus and His power, we can’t always understand things about our new life but, as our faith grows, we learn that we can trust Jesus for the outcome.

“. . . how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. . .” As we mature in Christ we try to understand about God’s love. We learn that His love for us is bigger than we will ever realize.  Several years ago I saw a small card. It read like this: “I asked Jesus how much He loved me. He answered ‘This much.’ And spread out his arms and died for me.”

“. . . to know this love that surpasses all knowledge. . .” When we experience God in our lives, we don’t act, think, or talk the same. All this happens in our lives because we have God with us. All we can do is take this by faith.

“. . . that you may be filled to the measure . . .”Paul speaks of believers being filled with the Holy Spirit. He experienced the Holy Spirit on the Damascus Road. This passage suggests each one of us who follow him receives the Holy Spirit according to God’s measurement.

 . .of all the fullness of God.” God wants to give each of us an ample amount of His love, strength, and wisdom in order that we may live for Him.

For God So Loved the World

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Book Review: Please Don't Let Me Die

by Patrick J. McCarthy

Patrick McCarthy, his wife Lisa, and six of their children lived the worst nightmare any family can live. They lost their youngest daughter and baby sister, Danielle, a victim of homicide. The legal term in Washington State was Homicide by Controlled Substance. The particulars of how Danielle died constitute heartbreak in itself.

This book is written by a father who had questions about why his daughter had to die  and was unfamiliar with the legal system. Mr. McCarthy and his family had to wait eighteen long months for the main perpetrators to be brought to ‘justice’. The wait was hard because Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy did not understand why the process took so long. Each time there was a court date, they had to drive a great distance to the town where Danielle had been on the morning she died.  One bright spot was they had support from their family who mostly lived out of state.

All the while this nightmare was going on, they had one big question, Why were they the LAST to know of their daughter’s/ sister’s tragic death?

This is a book I would recommend to counselors or pastors. I believe this would be a hard read for someone who has gone through a similar time, unless they are going through counseling.

I received a free copy of this book from Carpenter’s Son Publishing and the author, Patrick J. McCarthy through The Book Club Network. All I was asked to do was read it and give an unbiased review.  

Graphic: barnesandnoble.com

Book Review: 52 Reasons to Believe by Gregg Peter Farah

  

ConciseThoughts On the Christian Faith

Gregg Peter Farrah, a pastor of Shelter Rock Church on Long Island, New York, has examined the Christian faith as a jeweler would a fine diamond. He brings the four areas of our faith into view, breaking those areas down into small chunks. He discusses the Bible, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

The book is called a devotional theology book. It is the second of a four-part series Rev. Farah is creating. In each of the 52 short devotional readings, he includes sections called Reasons to believe, a key quote, Did you know, Link to your life, Small group discussion, Key verse, and Prayer.

Rev. Farah has researched this topic very well. I would recommend this book to anyone who desires to grow in their faith and for small group usage. I would also recommend this book for a Sunday school class study. The author includes curriculum ideas and a lesson template for those who would wish to study this book. I look forward to seeing the other books in this series.

I received this book free of charge from Carpenter’s Son Publishing and Reverend Farrah through The Book Club Network. All they asked of me was an unbiased review. 

Graphic: gpfarah.com

Book Review: The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

Rachel Stoltzfus, a young woman living in an old order Mennonite community, made a mistake. The citizens of that society began to notice the change in her. She was not alone in her sin. The newly appointed bishop of the area wanted to banish her from the community. Her sin, like all sin, touched others beside herself. Her twin sister and her sister’s husband felt the sting of undealt with sin.

When the health of an innocent child comes to the forefront, the people who have been party to and victim of the sin, as well as the ones who set the stage for it have to admit their part in it.Rachel’s story is told by Rachel and Amos King, the deceased bishop.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes to read stories about the Amish or the Mennonite people. Although this is Ms. Petersheim’s first novel, I believe she will write more about her Mennonite heritage. I look forward to reading her books in the future.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishing and Jolina Petersheim through the Book Club Network. All I was asked to do was read this and give an unbiased review.


Graphic: jolinapetersheim.com

Something Nice to See

This past Thursday, Hubby and I went to get our hair cut. On the way home, we stopped and ate at a fish place that had rebuilt after a fire completely destroyed the restaurant. As we come down our street, we looked in the western sky and saw a rainbow.

This picture resembles the one we saw. Yesterday evening I called a dear friend of mine and told her about it. Her grandson was there at the time and said he saw one yesterday morning.

This phenomenon is called a winter rainbow or a snow rainbow. It is caused by ice crystals getting before the sun. The sun shines through the crystals and causes the white sunlight to break into the colors we see in a rainbow in the spring or summer.

From what we can surmise is that these winter rainbows only happen when the temperature is zero or below.

My Hubby wanted me to post this picture and message here. J

Graphic: spacew.com

The Lord Strengthened Moses

“The Lord replied, “My presence will go with you,

and I will give you rest. Moses said to him, ’If your presence does not

 go with us, do not send us from here.’”

Exodus 33:14-15 (NIV)

Moses asks the Lord to be with him on the journey. Moses feels ill-equipped to lead the Israelite children out of bondage and into the Promised Land. God replied by telling his servant that He will be with him.

Do we sometimes, feel we can’t do the task laid out before us? If we do, that means we will have to lean on God to get us through what lay ahead. I will always fondly remember the pastor that advised us from the pulpit to try something that we could fail at if we tried to do it alone. We need God to be with us throughout our days.

One of my Facebook friends, a gentleman who writes and speaks at writing conferences, had gone through Cancer treatment. Right after he finished a round of those sessions, he spoke at a writer’s conference. Just before he was to speak, he prayed and said, “I don’t think I can do this.” God heard his plea and spoke, “Now, I can.”

Dear God;

               Thank You for the strength You give us when we face events and activities that we deem hard for us. Nothing is too hard for You. We thank You for loving us and guiding us through every day of our lives. We give You all the praise. In the name of Jesus, we pray. AMEN

Graphic: ilifejourney,wordpress.com