More than at any previous time in history, we live in a disposable culture. We are surrounded by stuff that we use one day (or for a short period of time) and dispose of the next. The term disposable implies cheapness; from paper products to plastic water bottles . . . from dryer sheets to disposable cameras . . . we toss these items away with little thought because they can be easily and inexpensively replaced.
Sadly, we often allow relationships to be put into the category of disposable when things don’t go our way. We are friends with someone today and strangers the next. Yet there is one relationship that is NOT disposable: your relationship with your Redeemer.
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39)
Because God is unchanging—He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)—there is nothing in the entire universe that can ever possibly separate you from Jesus Christ. Not even your sin! Earlier in his epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul gave us this word of unimaginable comfort and encouragement: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). God does not love you one minute and look for ways to dispose of you the next. God’s love for you in Christ Jesus is . . .
- Immeasurable!
- Inexpressible!
- Inexhaustible!
You see, if you have placed your trust in Christ’s atoning work on your behalf, God has put your sin away, never to be raised up again. Your sins are as far from you as the east is from the west—a distance that is utterly immeasurable. Your sins have been washed away by the blood of the Lamb of God. Every sin—past, present, and future—has been nailed to the cross, which means that His mercy and forgiveness for you is inexhaustible. When Jesus uttered His victory cry of “It is finished,” He meant what He said! As far as God is concerned, your sins have been covered—freely, fully, and forever—by the perfect righteousness of the Lamb of God.
Know this: when Jesus hung on that cross, with spikes driven through His feet and hands and a cruel crown of thorns jammed down into His brow, He was thinking about you. The depth of His love for you is inexpressible . . . He loves you with a divine love that is NOT DISPOSABLE!
What does this truth mean to you today? I pray that you will feel as encouraged as you feel empowered to live for the One who has said, in both word and deed, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. You are not disposable to Me!”
Let that truth set you free to live the perfect plan God has for your life—even though you will surely live it imperfectly—with freedom, joy, and faithfulness to Jesus Christ.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 