It is written, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” “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 8:35 & 38-39). “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV).
I read this verse with the assurance that “nothing” can separate me from God’s love. Even my rebellious nature, there is nothing even I can do to separate myself from God—His love and presence are inseparable.
However, I have also realized that in my freedom to choose, I can resist God’s will for my life. His love, no, but His desires and direction? Yes. The question is: how do we know what is God’s will for our lives?
Seventeen years ago, I made a crucial decision that changed my life. I chose to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and that He died on the cross to pay and atone for my sins. At that moment, I was justified and made right before God, and I inherited the righteousness of Christ. These words had pierced my heart: “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). But as I continued to read the New Testament, I discovered that much more of what Jesus said troubled me.
Jesus told His disciples that, “he kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). Sell everything I have? I have spent the past thirty years building my career and securing my kingdom—real estate, retirement, etc.
“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Plowing a field by hand? That sounds like a lot of work for me. And He wants me to use both my hands? He wants my full commitment, not halfway in. Maybe I’m not fit for the Kingdom? Continue Reading….