Jump Start # 3888
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
Four simple words. Powerful words. Words that change the balance of things. Here in the midst of a series of seven questions in a row, we find these four words. What are they? GOD IS FOR US. Think about that. God is not neutral. God doesn’t ride the fence about you. God doesn’t say, “I don’t have an opinion about you.” No, God is for us.
For us, what does that mean? What is it like to be “FOR” someone.
In the world of Roger, here are some things that I am FOR.
I am for my Dodgers. I do more than just like them, I follow them. I know where they are in the standings, first place in case you didn’t know. I know how many home runs their superstar Ohtani has hit (41 up to this writing). I pay attention to my Dodgers. I watch them whenever I can. I am for LA blue—the Dodgers.
I am for my family. There is rarely a day that I do not talk to all four of my kids and as many of the grandkids as I can squeeze in. I know what activities the little ones are in, what grade of school they are in, and all the comings and goings in their families. I am for them.
I am for my home congregation. Love those people. Love preaching and teaching them. I pray about them all the time. I care about the things that upset them. I know about upcoming medical tests and surgeries. My life is woven together with these people. They are my family in Christ. I am for them.
Now, that’s just a short sampling of some of the things that I am for. So, when the apostle tells us that God is for us, what does that mean?
First, God is thinking about you. You have caught the attention of the Lord. God is watching you. God is caring for you. God is on your side. He knows what you need. He is there to help you. He wants you to succeed spiritually. He wants you to grasp the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. God is for you.
Second, often, not to our liking, we must travel through dark valleys and sit across the table from our enemies. We’d rather not do that. We’d rather have sunny days and smooth sailing every day. But, the God who is for us, understands that there are lessons learned and character developed only through those trials. There are some things that can only be seen in the dark. The God who is for you will not leave you alone, abandon you or make you figure things out on your own. He is for you. There has provided the tools, the examples and the hope that will allow us to face anything, including death itself.
The end our passage asks, “…who is against us?” I believe I could make a list of those who are against us. At the top would be the devil. Those that love darkness are against us. Those that love error are against us. Those that pervert justice are against us. Those that want to see the kingdom collapse and fail are against us. The list is long of those who are against us. Yet, God is greater than any of those. If God is for us, it doesn’t matter who is against us. History has proven that. Egyptians. Seas. Lions. Prison doors. Great armies. Giants. God has defeated all of the enemies.
Third, it ought to encourage us and strengthen us to know that God is for us. It might be that I feel alone. David did when his own family no longer believed in him. He faced a giant alone. God was with him. Sometimes, even in a congregation we may feel alone. But, we are not alone. God is for us. God is opening doors that we thought were closed. God is putting people in our lives that we don’t know about. God is doing things today that may impact us days or months from now.
God is for us…nothing else matters. With God you have the greatest mind, the greatest power, the greatest help and the greatest love that the world has even known. And, to think, He’s on your side. He is for you.
Facing cancer—God is for you. Facing death of a loved one—God is for you. Struggling financially—God is for you. Feel trapped in a dead church—God is for you. Don’t give up. He hasn’t given up on you. He won’t give up on you.
God is for you…four simple words. What a difference they make.
Roger