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"The Blessing Of Nothing"
Message
summary:
Today let us
rejoice and
find great
assurance in
the blessing
of the
"nothing"
found in
Romans
8:38,39.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"Yes,
I am sure that
nothing can
separate us
from God’s
love—not
death, life,
angels, or
ruling
spirits. I am
sure that
nothing now,
nothing in the
future, no
powers,
nothing above
us or nothing
below
us—nothing in
the whole
created
world—will
ever be able
to separate us
from the love
God has shown
us in Christ
Jesus our
Lord" (Romans
8:38,39).
Years ago after we crossed the Tillman Memorial Bridge as we drove from Hoover Dam on US Route 93 through Arizona. Earlier we had made the rather harrowing walk across the bridge, which is 890 feet above the Colorado River.
Route 93 has some unusual town names in Arizona. For instance we passed through Grasshopper Junction then through a little town named Santa Claus.
Further
south toward
Phoenix is a
ghost town
named
"Nothing".
Locals claim
it "got named
by a bunch of
drunks". At
its height,
Nothing had a
population of
four. That's
almost as
small as
Monowi,
Nebraska which
has one
occupant, a
colorful lady
named Elsie
Eiler who
serves in
multiple
official
roles: mayor,
clerk,
treasurer,
librarian, and
tax collector.
But... that's
another story!
The word "nothing" often has negative connotations. If bored, people may complain, "I have nothing to do". It's not a sign of financial health to say, "I have nothing".
Spiritually "nothing" can also have a negative aspect. Psalm 33:10 states, "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples". Paul wrote in Romans 7:18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me". Spiritually "nothing" can also have a negative aspect. Paul wrote in Romans 7:18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me".
But "nothing" can also be a blessing in the proper context. If cancer is suspected and after a CT scan the words from the doctor are "we found nothing" such results will bring about rejoicing.
Today's text reveals a wonderful sense of "nothing" being a blessing. The Easy To Read version especially highlights this. "Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love-not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us-nothing in the whole created world will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38).
Robert
Morgan
illustrates:
But Corrie and her sister Betsie had a Bible, and at every opportunity they would gather the women together like orphans around a blazing fire, and read Romans 8: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
I would look about us as Betsie read, watching the light leap from face to face. More than conquerors. It was not a wish. It was a fact. We knew it, we experienced it minute by minute in an ever widening circle of help and hope. Life at Ravensbruck took place on two separate levels. One, the observable, external life, grew every day more horrible. The other, the life we lived with God, grew daily better, truth upon truth, glory upon glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).*
Today let us rejoice and find great assurance in the blessing of the "nothing" found in Romans 8:38,39. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13.
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father,
nothing in
this world
that can be a
substitute for
the joy we
find in Christ
Jesus our Lord
who became our
Lord and
Savior when we
confessed our
faith in
Christ. What a
peace it
brings to know
that nothing
in Your
created world
can separate
us from the
love You have
shown us in
Christ Jesus
our Lord. How
grateful we
are to be
recipients of
Your mercy and
grace. Amen.
* (Morgan, R. J. Nelson's Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
In today's
message we
shared a quote
from one of
the many books
Robert Morgan
has written.
Over ten years
ago we visited
Brooksyne's
sister in
Nashville and
attended the
church Robert
Morgan
pastored at
the time when
I took this
photo. In
person he is a
kind,
soft-spoken
man and as any
writer would
be, he was
pleased to
hear Brooksyne
commend his
excellent
writing style
in the many
books we have
in our
bookshelf. We
indeed commend
his works and
over the years
Brooksyne has
given many of
us his books
away targeting
people in need
of
encouragement
and comfort.
Click on photo to enlarge
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Stephen & Brooksyne
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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