Romans 8:35 asks a question that is very relevant for these hard times.  The New Living Translation reads "Does it mean Christ no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?"

We often find it hard to believe that God still loves us when we are going through difficulties not of our making.  There are some who might automatically answer that Christ never stops loving us.  But most of us would have to admit that, deep down, we wonder if Christ really does love us.  After all, how can he love us and still allow this to happen?

It is natural, even human, to think this way.  Yet if we allow this question to take root in our hearts, it can cause us to feel unloved even though it is not true.  Christ will never stop loving us; but we can stop believing in His love.  When we do, it causes us to experience a "separation" that doesn’t exist.

So how do we continue to believe when things are so bad?  If anybody deserved to ask this question, it was St. Paul.  His life was often filled with suffering and trouble.  Yet he answers in verse 38, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love."  The word “convinced” means to "overcome or overpower by argument."  He was saying, “I have been overcome by argument, by the truth that I have come to know, that Christ loves me and will always love me no matter what may be going on in my life.” 

What convinced him of God’s love?  St Paul writes, "Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?"  It was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that "convinced" him.  It was personal.  It was real.  And it allowed him to continue to experience God’s love in tough times.

How about you today?  Are you “convinced”?  Not just a reiteration of a religious teaching, but truly convinced?   Can you believe He loves you where you are?

Take time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to ask his Spirit to help you be “convinced”.  Christ really does love you, no matter what you are experiencing, and He will never allow anything to separate you from His love and His compassion.

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