He gives

DEVOTION

ROMANS

HE GIVES

Rom 8:31-39

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."  

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 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.

NIV

We most likely should just use the first verse of the response and leave the rest for the next day. If God is for us, who can be against us says it all. Is there anything in this world that is more powerful that God? We just cannot come up with anything no matter how long we sit here and rack our brain. There is no one or anything which can overpower God. No wealth, no illness, no evil power, nothing can outwit or out strength God. He spoke everything into existence and if he choose, he could speak something out of existence. Throughout the scriptures we see Jesus speaking things out of existence. He even spoke death out of existence with the little girl and with Lazarus. Can any of us speak ourselves immortal? God can! Now he has given us some authority to speak certain things and something will happen. He has given us that authority to use his name against sickness and evil. But it is still by his authority. There is no one who can cure death, but Jesus can. It is by the power of God, Jesus was crucified. The Jews might have believed they caused Jesus to be crucified, but they were wrong for that was God’s plan all along, that is why Jesus came in the form of man, so he could die for our sin. It was by the power of God that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, to be the firstborn of many brothers, us. It is by the power of God that we are born again, and thus born as immortal beings. Oh death, where is thy sting? It is by the power of God we breathe, as he was the one who breathed the breath of life into man. Nothing can win the battle against God and that is final. But the wonderfulness of all his power is aimed right at us. Look at what is said. The fact that God did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us, how we he not, along with his son, graciously give us all things. What are all things? He has the power to give us all things. Could that mean both spiritually and materially? If it includes material things, why are some believers so poor? Why do that have nothing? Could the all things just mean immortality? Could it mean freedom from death? Because the next statement about who can bring any charges against us, it might mean God gives us power over sin. He declares, he speaks us innocent, he declares, he speaks, us holy and blameless in his sight. That could be the all things as it seems within the context. But, still all things could just mean all things. It might mean that if we have nothing it is because we do not believe God. We certainly do not have eternal life unless we believe God. But could that also apply to our health, or our wealth? The world spends enormous amount of time devoted to our health. Many people produce all sorts of products and services which are supposed to make us healthy. There is always something new that proves they can cure us of anything. There is also a multitude of people who can tell us how we can become wealthy, how we can save more money, how we can invest for our future. But it is God who can give us all things. The Greek word translated give is the middle voice of the Greek word translated as grace. This could mean he grants us favor, he pardons us. So then all things would be applied in only in the spiritual sense. But we know there is more. God declares he is the God that heals us. He is the God who provides for us. He is the God who protects us. He is the God who does it all. He brings about everything in our life within his authority. He graciously gives us all things. Is it possible the reason we have struggles in life because we simply do not believe God? There is no other meaning for the Greek word translated all things, other than the whole, everything, any, all. It bowls down to the fact that God gives, which means we receive, we cannot take, he gives.