Mask Up And Sing On

"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 hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened by death? [...] I am convinced nothing can ever separate us from God's love..."

- St. Paul, Romans 8:35, 38 (NLT)

"When you owe your life to someone… you better live it."

- Anonymous

As I walked into the Infusion Center at Scripps for my bi-annual chemo treatment this week...I was amazed and overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the frontline workers -- the nurses, the doctors, the medical staff -- who continue to put themselves at risk to help all of us. I walked into the room, sat back in my chair and couldn't miss hearing Frank Sinatra singing Christmas music in the background. I looked at the young nurse assisting me and said, "You like Sinatra?" "Looove Him!", she said. "If you get me", she laughed, "You get Frank!" As I watched this young mother of 3 gently hook me up to a drip IV I told her how grateful I was and I told her, "I'm praying God will give you and your family special protection." She smiled and said, "Thank you. I love what I do."

If anyone was an expert on evaluating what Love will do… the risks it will take… the lengths it will go… the sacrifices it will make… the price it will pay… it was the Apostle Paul. His resume of what love cost him in 2 Corinthians 11 reads like a battlefield journal. Why? Because Paul has learned the one big thing about God's love: He does not separate Himself from what He loves… ever! Not for any reason! And He loves you and me! God's love will not allow anything to separate Him from you. So think about...

...the most Damnable thing in your life

...the most Embarrassing thing about your finances

...the most Distressing things about your kids

...the most Heart-Breaking thing about your marriage

...the most Painful failure in your life...

And shout... "NOTHING!!!" Nothing will disqualify you from being loved and cared for by God!

On the cross and through His resurrection, Jesus declared that He will let nothing ever stop Him from loving you. Nothing!

I heard a well known pastor confess that he hated to fly. On a particularly turbulent flight he was white-knuckling the seat when the flight attendant noticed his fear and said, "Pastor, I'm surprised you're so afraid. Didn't Jesus say, "I am with you always?'" The pastor said, "No, Jesus said, 'Lo, I am with you always'. He didn't say anything about being with me at 35,000 feet."

God said, "Nothing!"

When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for talking about Jesus (Acts 16), they started singing. It was the original "Jailhouse Rock." While everyone else was whining and complaining and getting Bitter… Paul and Silas rose above their circumstances and got Better... by trusting in the Presence of the God who was with them because He promised nothing would ever separate them from Him. If you're feeling like you're stuck in a prison of sorts today… something that limits your freedom or restricts your movement or disturbs your peace or suffocates your joy… why not trust that the God of Heaven and Earth is with you because He loves you. And you'll find yourself, like a young nurse I know, humming along with Frank Sinatra, "Joy to the World, the Lord has come!"...in an infusion center!

C’mon... Mask Up and Sing On!

Pastor Harry

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