Romans 8:35-39

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?”

“Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? . . .”

Does it mean he longer loves us if our car doesn’t start or our business never takes off?

What about if the cancer returns or the surgery didn’t work?

What if I lose my job or my house or my retirement savings?

Does it mean he no longer loves us if the only car we can afford is a ten-year-old lemon or if our house is a “fixer-upper”?

Does it mean he no longer loves us if our kids rebel, our parents get divorced, or our spouse has an affair?

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

If this is true then, Christ’s love for us is not demonstrated by an abundance of blessings or a lack of trouble. God’s love for us is not measured by the size of our bank account or our popularity in our social circle.

Victory is ours. The ultimate foes—sin, Satan, and death—are defeated through Christ Jesus. Could the physical troubles of this world pale in comparison to the spiritual promises of knowing Jesus?

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t.”

Controlling in-laws, and whiny children can’t. Bankruptcy can’t, and the tax auditor can’t.

My own fickle feelings about whether God loves me can't separate me from God's love

“Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.”

Not my own stupidity or foolish choices. The times when I run head long into sin or the times when I inch up as close as I can get and dip my little toe into evil. Nothing can keep God’s love away.

Satan, the deceiver, and all his minions of tricky little demons can put all their heads together and try as they might they can’t keep God’s love away.

Because God's love isn't based upon me, it's based upon his unchangeable character.

“Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

There is nowhere, no how, no place on earth, under the earth, or in heaven that will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Romans 8:35–39

A Sinking Feeling

 It's late at night and there's a storm at sea. The winds are howling, and a ship full of rough fishermen are scared. They're rowing against the wind, trying to stay afloat, wondering if they are going to make it to shore.

Suddenly, one of them points to something out in the distance. The others follow his finger to a shadowy figure hovering over the water. Wait, it's not hovering. It's moving directly toward the boat. This boat full of rough sailors begins to scream like little girls. AHHH! A ghost!

Peering over the side of the boat, Peter suddenly hears Jesus' voice. Wait a minute. It's not a ghost; it's Jesus. "It's alright! I'm here!" Jesus calls out.

Now Peter could've left it at that. He could have sighed with relief and wonder and chalked it up as another incredible feat of this miracle man, but he didn't.

Perhaps Peter's mind was filled with the amazing miracle he had witnessed earlier that evening when he had seen Jesus take an afternoon snack and transform it into dinner for over five thousand people. Perhaps Jesus' challenge to the disciples, when they suggested that the people should go home and eat, was still ringing in his ears. "You feed them." Rather than believe in the power of Jesus, the disciples had just looked at each other in disbelief. "How are we going to that with just a little bread and some fish?"

With this embarrassing display of faithlessness still fresh in his mind, Peter wasn't going to be ashamed again. If it really was Jesus (and not a ghost!) out there, Peter was going to show him that he had faith this time. Peter cries out,  "Lord, if it is you. Tell me to come to you on the water!"

The wind howled. Rain blinded him. But he heard Jesus' voice loud and clear: "Come on."

One leg over the side of the boat, then the other. No time to think, just go. Waves beat against him, but he's not sinking. He's gliding on the water. It's working. He's doing it. . . He's walking to Jesus. He's passing the faith test.

But the waves are so high; the wind so strong. Fear sinks in and pulls him down into the water. But Jesus is there instantly, pulling him up out of the water and into the safety of the boat. Then and only then, the wind stops. The lake becomes a smooth mirror reflecting the pale moon.

Then the entire boat bursts out in praise. If they didn't believe before, they certainly believe now. Jesus is the Son of God.

But Peter sits in the bottom of the boat in a puddle of water. He is still thinking about Jesus' words to him as He reached out and saved him from a one-way trip to the bottom of the lake: "You don't have much faith. Why did you doubt me?"

"You don't have much faith" is an observation, but it must have hurt Peter. His rating on the faith-o-meter ranked somewhere between a pinch and a smidgin. He's not going to be voted the most faith-filled disciple any time soon.

"Why did you doubt me?" I'm pretty sure Jesus means this as a rhetorical question. He's not really looking for an answer. He just wants Peter to mull it over a little bit. "What's holding you back from completely trusting in me?" he queries.

Let's leave Peter shivering in the bottom of the boat for a moment and fast-forward to Matthew chapter 15, where a Gentile (!) woman (!!) is praised for her faith. Ouch! That had to hurt the egos of Peter and his macho Jewish friends.

But wait, there's more. In verses 32–39, once again there's a crowd of people to feed. Certainly this time the disciples will remember the miracle Jesus performed before. Certainly they'll believe that Jesus will provide for the crowd. Nope. Once again, Peter and the disciples are throwing their hands in the air. "Where would we get enough food out here in the wilderness?" they ask Jesus.

But don't count Peter out just yet. In Matthew 16 Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is, and Peter is first one to pipe up, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Then Peter gets some awesome affirmations from Jesus. Jesus blesses him and gives him a glimpse into how he will used to further the kingdom of God.

Back to Peter in the bottom of the boat. Think about this: no one else even attempted to get out of the boat. Just a few hours before, Peter had refused to believe that Jesus could provide food for thousands of people. Now his eyes were open to the possibility of what he could do with God's help. In Peter's water-walking (or perhaps water-falling), there is spiritual progress. His faith had grown a little.

Jesus doesn't see Peter's failure as permanent, but as an part of a journey. Jesus makes an honest judgement when he says, "You don't have much faith." There's not much, but there's some. That means there is room for growth. Then Jesus poses a question to help Peter get to the crux of his unbelief. "Why did you doubt me?" I like the fact that the verb is past tense. It's not "Why do you doubt me?" It's almost like Jesus sees the doubt as something that happened in one instance, but he doesn't consider it a continual part of Peter's life. Jesus is already looked ahead to Peter's faith growing and increasing.

Maybe in your life right now you can totally relate to Peter curled up in the fetal position in the bottom of the boat. You were in the middle of the storm, and you stepped out in faith. You gave it your best shot, but the wind was too strong. You sank. This isn't the end of your story. Keep on learning from Jesus. Keep reading the Word and praying. You can't see what the next chapter in the book is, but it might be a faith triumph.

Like Peter, take the opportunity to learn from failure. Take the time to ponder those hard questions: Why do I doubt? What is holding me back from completely trusting God? Someone said that we learn more from failure than we ever learn from success. Instead of running from the shame and disappointment, ask God to forgive you and heal the broken places.

Remember that when Jesus got back into boat, the storm instantly disappeared and everyone in the boat worshiped him. In your struggle, remember to praise the God who rescued you even when you deserved to sink.

I wonder if later when they were safely on shore, the disciples didn't give Peter a rough time about his walk that turned into a swim. And I wonder if Peter didn't later come to realize that what appeared to be a huge failure was the first step to deep faith.

Don't let that sinking feeling get you down. Keep on getting out of the boat and walking toward Jesus.

How Does Our Garden Grow?

I love buying fresh flowers. Roses, gerbera daisies, lilies. I can't resist them. It's amazing how a vase of flowers can brighten an entire room.

Unfortunately, cut flowers don't last long. After a few days their blossoms fades; after a week they are brown and wilted. Flowers that I grow in my garden are a lot more work, but also much more gratifying.

If you've ever tried to grow flowers, you know that it's not easy. You have to plant the seeds according the specific directions on those tiny little packages. Care must be taken to water the seeds every day. When the seedlings appear, you must pull up some of them, or the plants will grow too closely together and choke each other. Then of course there is constant weeding and watering. Oh, yes, fertilizer helps too.

It takes months of persistent care for the plant to finally produce a flower. When it does, it is a beautiful thing.

That's why our Women's Ministry is called "Bloom." When a plant reaches its full potential, it bursts forth in color and fragrance. It's a visual display of the healthy growth of the plant. In the same way, when a women is maturing spiritually, she is truly beautiful, bring joy to everyone in her life.

But flowers in a garden don't bloom by chance. And unlike cut flowers, you can't just buy your spiritual maturity next to the hand sanitizer in the checkout aisle at Wal-mart. There's a Spirit-led process that starts with a tiny seed of faith. That seed of faith needs fertilizer: the Word of God, prayer, and the encouragement of other Christians.

The goal of Bloom is to help all women become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. In order for all the women of Rechurch to bloom the way God intends, we have planned events that will help women grow from seed to flower.

Plant the Seeds—opportunities to experience God's love through friendship. Great for women who aren't yet believers or for women who long to take the first steps to get to know other women.

• Bunko the 2nd Thursday of the month, 7 PM, meeting in various homes. We need people to host and provide simple snacks. 

Apply the Fertilizer—times for concentrated spiritual growth through small groups, retreats, and conferences where women can dig into God's Word and apply its truth to their lives.

• Ladies' small group on Monday nights from 6-8 p.m.
• Mini-retreat on Saturday, October 16 from 8 to 1 p.m.

Growing the Garden—events and outings to help women connect with other women.

• Shopping trip planned for November or early December.  Details to be announced.

Bloom in the Community—opportunities to spread God's love in the community though service projects.

• If you have an idea of how we can do this, let me know!

Whether your faith seems like a tiny seed or you're blooming like crazy, you belong at Rechurch. Together, we are God's incredible garden filled with flowers of every shape and color. Don't let fear or busyness hold you back. Together we can bloom.

What are you waiting for? Come on. Let's grow!

andrea