No Escape

No Escape
September 9, 2013
Romans 8:38  ". . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

There is no escaping the love of God.  You cannot run from it and you cannot hide from it.  Nothing will ever be able to separate you from the Love He has for you.  You are loved by the Almighty Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.  In as much as He loves you, He also holds you as His own, as His child.  There is no escaping it.  This is so comforting to know and it is a message easy to swallow.  We like to hear this message of love; it is a favorite among Christians.  But there is something else that comes with the love of the Father that we cannot escape.  We cannot escape His discipline.  This message is a little harder to receive.

Adam and Eve learned this lesson the hard way.  Right after their first sin of eating the forbidden fruit, they tried to hide from the Lord.  He went after them, seeking them out, looking for them until He found them.  He didn't beat around the bush either; the Lord cut right to the heart of the matter, correcting them of their error.  He was not about to let them get away with anything.  He always confronts us, not to be mean but to keep us on the path He has set before us.  Adam and Even could not escape the Lord's discipline and neither can anyone else.

Scripture says very clearly in the Old and New Testament that the Lord disciplines those He loves.  This discipline is not punishment but correction, leading, and discipleship.  He has a purpose in mind and that is to be made further into His likeness while being used for His glory.  You cannot escape the Lord's love and you cannot escape the Lord's discipline.  If you think that the Lord's mercy is greater than His intent on applying discipline, you are mistaken.  If the Lord relented from His discipline, it would be akin to hating you, allowing you to continue on a path to destruction.  If you want to accept the Lord's love you must accept the Lord's discipline.

His discipline comes in many forms, often disguised.  Scripture says we are to endure hardships or difficult situations as discipline, as the Lord's discipleship.  The tough time you are having right now is an opportunity to accept the Lord's love and be shaped by His discipleship.  They go hand in hand.  You cannot escape the Lord's love and you cannot escape the Lord's discipline.  Too often we experience difficult times, hardships that seem unbearable, and we become angry with the Lord for allowing it to happen.  This is the opposite of how we should see it.  If the Lord is allowing us to experience it, then He is showing us His love by allowing us to be discipled, being made more into His likeness.  During this hard time, adjust your opinion of the situation and see it as the Lord's love for your life.  If you cannot escape it, you might consider embracing it.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Proverbs 3:12, Rom 8, Heb 12:6-7, Rev 3:19