Monday – The Victory of Love
It was Christmas day and I was headed home. If all went according to plan I’d arrive right in time for a delicious Christmas lunch with my family. I was eager to see my family since I had been living in Illinois and rarely got to travel out to see them. But all my high expectations came to a crashing halt. As I waited in Detroit airport for my transfer flight, we were given a delay. I was a little down but I tried to console myself with the fact that all I’d miss was the Christmas lunch. But then the flight was delayed again… and again and again. I spent all of Christmas day in the airport. My feelings were far from hope, peace, joy and love. I felt frustrated and angry. I found out later that the whole airport had been shut down because of a bomb threat.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace and love right? But the cold hard truth is that there is still evil, suffering and frustration in our world. But we should not despair. Love is still victorious. Jesus entered our world. He has a plan and is at work. It’s through His love that our world is being transformed.
Brothers and sisters, hold onto this promise from the book of Romans – though we may experience hardship and troubles of all kinds, we are not forgotten nor are we abandoned. Jesus’ love reaches out to us even in the worst of times. We are not defeated by the suffering and evil but we have victory through Christ who loves us. And His love cannot be taken from us!
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Blessings, Luke