We Will Not Lose

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 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 8:37-39

Today’s Reading: Psalms 70-71; Romans 8:22-39

I love this. Paul is so absolutely ride or die with his faith. This is one of those spiritual pep talk scriptures for Christians.

But there is an important thing to remember here. The part of this passage that hits me the hardest is “through Him who loved us.”

Paul lists off all of these things that seem to be more powerful than us: death, life, angels, principalities, powers. Against these things we are to be more than conquerors. We shall persevere through the trials of the present and the future. There is nothing that can separate us from God and what God has for us to do.

But this statement isn’t a statement of one’s own power. It is a statement of what we can do when we connect with the love of God. That’s what “through Him who loved us” means to me. When we tap into that love that goes beyond human understanding then nothing can stand in our way.

Proof of this for me is the example that I always go back to; the Civil Rights Movement. It must have seemed so strange when black folks in the south and their allies from various cultural backgrounds resisted the violent policies of Jim Crow intimidation with peaceful measures. I remember learning about it as a kid and thinking that it was crazy.

But I get it now. As King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

It takes a love beyond my understanding to live like this; and for me, that love can only come from my connection to God.

It has not only been helpful in the extreme environment of social struggle but it can be helpful for all of us in our day to day lives. The same love that was required to turn the other cheek during the sit-ins is what powers our forgiveness of those who have wronged us. It is what allows us to take another chance on love when we have been hurt in the past. It is what allows us to reach out and help those in our lives who take more than they give.

The power of love cannot be defeated in and of itself. It only yields when we have lost our faith, when we have lost the courage to get up, carry on, and continue on love’s journey.

If we don’t give up then we will never lose. 

In God We Trust

So... I watched the first part of the State of the Union address on TV the other day.

Upon immediately becoming bored to tears I started looking around at the scenery in the room. The House of Representatives must be so beautiful. The camera angles provided some interesting sweeping glances of the interior.

But I did notice one thing. There was this pretty ornate and powerful looking “In God We Trust” on the wall.

Interesting.

Of course this isn’t a foreign concept to me. It has been printed on of our money since the Civil War. But it is a pretty interesting statement to have it so prominently displayed in one of the central houses of government.

Actually, I just learned that it is the official motto of the United States of America.

Wow!!!

(The things you learn when you write a blog everyday… Thank you Wikipedia.)

This reminded me of an article I read several years ago about the state Supreme Court in Alabama that had a monument to the Ten Commandments. Someone sued and a federal judge ruled that the monument had to be removed.

Furious, the chief justice in that courthouse refused and he was removed from his post.

Dude was pretty gangsta for the cause.

I have no problem with him getting removed from his post and all of that but I do pause a bit when it comes to religious stuff entering government.

I can see both sides.

It’s not like this just started happening. There are references to God in America’s founding texts. It is impossible to completely separate a person from their faith so of course one’s guiding principles will find their way into whatever institutions that they create.

But this country was also founded on the idea of freedom (and specifically economic and religious freedom). As we continue to strive to be a more perfect union do things like “In God We Trust” and monuments to the Ten Commandments have a place in our governmental space? Or are they like Slavery and Jim Crow; relics of the imperfection that generations of Americans have strived to cleanse from our union?

Of course as a Christian I see in the Ten Commandments and the other laws of Moses the foundation for the laws that we live by. So these things don’t bother me as much as they might someone who does not share my faith.

But also as a Christian I see many people in power who use God and Jesus’ name to promote laws and measures that are contrary to my faith.

So I guess there is no easy answer here.

But for those of you who wonder why there is so much hype about the Ten Commandments here they are. Check the link. Read them over. It’s good to read through them once if you haven’t in a while.

If not for any other reason then to know what it is that people like the ex chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court are willing to forsake their careers over.

Enjoy

The Ten Commandments

Today’s Reading: Exodus 21-22: Matthew 19