Daily Devotion: More Than Conquerors

Scripture:
Romans 8: 31-39

Main Verses:
Romans 8: 35-37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Observation:
Paul listed some things in v. 35 that the early Christians might have suffered from. In those days, as followers of Christ, they suffered opposition from those who did not believe in Christ. They were persecuted. Their lives were constantly in danger as Christians were put to death. They suffered from hunger.

Like the early Christians, we face tribulations and distress as followers of Christ. But all of these things will never separate us from the love of Christ. Note that the writer did not say we will never stop loving Christ. We are human, and like Peter, we could deny Jesus, too, when we face difficult times. But Christ never stopped loving Peter. Jesus will never stop loving us despite all the troubles we may encounter in our lives. And because of Christ's love, we can overwhelmingly conquer all these things.

Application:
In the most difficult times of our lives, we sometimes ask the Lord "WHY ME?" We ask Him why we have to be poor, why our loved one had to suffer from a disease, or why someone so dear to us had to die. We need to remember that suffering is unavoidable. We suffer not only when we are disobedient but also when we have been obedient to the Lord. But our greatest encouragement is Christ's love for us all. Yes, we can say that we love the Lord, but the Lord loves us more, and we can never equal His love for us. And can you imagine how we can be more than conquerors because of Christ's love? We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13)!  A conqueror is already considered victorious, but we are more than victors because the love of Christ has made us more than conquerors!

Prayer:
Father, thank you for the victorious life that I am blessed with. Your love has made me more than a conqueror, and there is nothing in this world that I can never conquer. Give me the confidence to claim this victory in my life at all times, and help me remember your Word that I can do all things because You, Oh Lord, strengthens me. AMEN.