There's a scene in The Hunger Games where a young girl volunteers to take her little sister's place in a battle that almost is certain to end in her death.

Twenty four children from the ages of 10-18 are selected by drawing names out of a pot. These twenty four children must fight each other until only one child is left alive.

I cry every time I remember that scene from the book where Prim's name is drawn and Catniss, her big sister, rushes forward screaming

"I volunteer, I volunteer!"


It was Prim's turn to compete in the Hunger Game which would mean much suffering and pain, almost certain death for Prim. Catniss loved her little sister too much to allow that suffering.
I am so moved by Catniss' sacrifice...


Then I remember... that's what Jesus did for me.



He Volunteered!  He took my place.

11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.


14 “I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 just as My Father knows Me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to My voice, and there will be one flock with one Shepherd.


17 “The Father loves Me because I sacrifice My life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded.”


There's a difference between being willing to die for a family member or close friend.  I think I would be willing to do that.  Most certainly, I would do it for my family.  But to volunteer to die for someone who despised me?  To be willing to be tortured to death for someone who treated my child horribly?  No way.  I just wouldn't.  But that's what Jesus did.  He volunteered.  Even though I turned my back on Him so many times.  Even though I fail to  acknowledge all He's done for me...  He took my punishment yet I have so little regard for that great sacrifice...

Even still, He was willing to die for me.  

I cry when I remember the scene from The Hunger Games, when Catniss steps up to take Prim's place.  That moves me deeply to see the love she had for her little sister.  But am I moved when I  think about the love Jesus has for me?  I don't think I understand just how much He loves me, otherwise my whole life would be a living sacrifice to Him filled with gratitude and praise.


Paul understood Christ's love.  When he finally realized that Jesus was the Son of God, Paul sacrificed every thing to carry the message of God's love to everyone, but especially to the Gentiles.  Not only did he give up his respected lifestyle and status as a Pharisee, he suffered great persecution and eventually death, because he wanted everyone to know Jesus was the Messiah that had been promised.  

Paul sent a letter to the believers in Ephesus to let them know not to lose heart because of his sufferings.  They had heard of his suffering, and Paul knew they were concerned for him and afraid about the future.  Paul knew heaven was worth whatever he had to endure on earth, and he wanted the Ephesians to know that, too,  so that they would stand firm.  Because Paul understood what Christ had done for him, he considered it an honor to suffer for His Namesake.

Ephesians 3:12-21
12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 13 So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.


Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth


14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.


20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.


I think if I ever began to truly comprehend how much God loves me, nothing in this world could get me down. No struggle, no suffering, no loss, nothing would matter except Christ crucified.  I want to know His love more deeply so that it overflows from me to everyone God puts in my life. So that, like Paul, I will consider it a honor to suffer for His Name. 

http://youtu.be/D9S86nMqaLg - Amazed - Phillips Craig and Dean

Father, I fall to my knees and lift up my prayer to You,  the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower me with inner strength through Your Spirit. Lord Jesus, make Your home in my heart as I put my trust in You. Make my  roots grow down into Your love and keep me strong. Give me the power to understand, as all Your people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. Help me experience Your love, Jesus, though it is too great to understand fully. Make me complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You.


Holy God, may all glory be to You, for You are able, through Your mighty power  within me, to accomplish infinitely more than I might ask or think. All glory to You in Your church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

http://youtu.be/k_MyC6kJzPg - Unfailing Love - Chris Tomlin

http://youtu.be/VpodVp6LH8s - Mercy came a running - Phillips Craig and Dean

The mercy I show is the mercy I will receive.  I could be in trouble.  I'm not always so merciful. 

Do I really feel any better when I choose to retaliate when someone treats me harshly?  I don't think so.  I might feel better for a moment, but it doesn't last.  You know why?  Because that person who treated me harshly will just lash out at me again in defense.  It becomes a vicious, never ending battle of words and attitude.  What if I offered forgiveness instead of retaliation? What if I blessed my enemy instead of cursing? 

This is not my idea.  It comes straight for God.  He gave us so many examples of how to forgive and how often.  And yes, He is talking to you about your circumstance.  Whatever wrong has been done to you, God calls you to forgive.  Just like He forgives.  He not only forgives, He forgets. 

Matthew 18:21-35 NLT

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”


22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!


23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.


26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.


28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.


29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.


31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.


35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Forgiving  isn't just a suggestion.  It's a critical part of our Christian walk.  It sets us a part from the world.  It's set Christianity a part from every other religion.

I was reading in 1 Peter this morning and I came to one of my favorite passages.  It's not always easy to obey these instructions, but we are called to bless those who insult us.  This is what makes us different from the world - not retaliating, not insisting on our own way but responding to insults with blessings:

1 Peter 2:18-23 NLT
For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.


21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

1 Peter 3:8-12 NLT
8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 10 For the Scriptures say,


“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.


11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.


12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.


But the Lord turns his face  against those who do evil.”

I don't always do this well.  It's our human nature to become indignant when someone offends us.
We are all "right fighters" as Dr. Phil calls it.  When we think we have been mistreated or that someone has treated us unfairly, we get indignant.  "How dare that person treat me that way!"  Right?   We hold grudges and even after an apology, sometimes we still remember and refuse to be merciful.  That's not the way God intends us to behave.

All you have to do is take a little trip down your Face Book page to see unforgiveness.  You can see people "facing off" regarding some real or imagined wrong.   We use Face Book to ridicule those who have offended us. We hold the offender up for the judgment of others.  After all, it's not fair for people to treat us badly.  We deserve justice!   Even though no name might be used, generally, our friends know who has "done us wrong".  But do we really feel any better for having told the world we've been mistreated? 

God calls us to be different.  Our lives should reflect the attitude Jesus had towards us.  He died for us, while we were still sinners!  He died for us and offered us His Hand in love and forgiveness.  Some of us have reached back and accepted His gracious Gift.  Some of us turn our backs on His mercy.  Yet, He still stands offering His gift if we'll just receive it.

Do I offer my hand in forgiveness to those I feel have hurt me?  Or do I cling to my rights? 

If we are ever going to win over the world for Christ, non-believers have to start seeing that our lives are different.  They should see us loving the unlovable.  They should see us offering mercy instead of retaliation.  We should always be the first one to make a  move towards reconciliation, and if we're rejected, we should never put a message on Face Book that shouts out of our unforgiveness. We bless instead of curse.  When we do, we make Jesus proud of us.  The angels rejoice!

We are to be different.  That's our purpose while on earth. 

If we are merciful to the undeserving, others can see Jesus living in us, giving us the ability, the strength, the love to be like Him.  If we really do that, others will want Christ in their lives, too.

 Instead of retaliating with insults, what if we showed mercy?  What if we offered a blessing instead of insults?

That's what Jesus did for us.  He did nothing to deserve the persecution He received, yet He left His defense in the Hand of His Father.  Can we do that, too?  Or do we deserve better than Christ?  We have all disrespected Jesus at one time or another.  I do it all the time - every time I choose to do things my own way instead of listening to His direction.  I disrespect His divine wisdom and love by thinking I deserve better than He received on this earth.  He pleads with us to treat people the way He treated them - with mercy and love.  Yet we have the audacity to think we have a right to lash out at perceived wrongs directed at us. 

Lord, forgive me for thinking I deserve to be treated better than you were treated.  Forgive me for my unforgiveness towards others.  Purify my heart.  Renew in me a right spirit.  Help others to see You living in me - help me to return blessings instead of insults to those I think have treated me unfairly.  Help me to be a living sacrifice for You. Thank You for Your gracious mercy.  I do not deserve Your forgiveness yet You give it so freely.  I love You, Lord.  Please, change my heart and make me more like You.

http://youtu.be/J4xm2mtDj2c - This Life - Mercy Me

Adversity is an opportunity to let His light shine through me.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the early church?

Persecution was almost unbearable.  Christians were being tortured and murdered for their beliefs.  They were forced to flee from their homes to protect their families from certain death.  They had to leave everything they had known and sometimes that was other family members who had not accepted the message of Hope that Christ offered.  They just left everything.  These uprooted Christians could easily get discouraged and wonder if the message they had accepted was real.  You can be sure the Enemy played on their emotions, feeding them lies, doing anything to shake their faith.

Then Peter who understood very well about persecution writes a letter of encouragement to them.
He reminded them that God the Father had chosen them.  He repeated the message that they had already received.  He gave them Hope that comes from the knowledge of the gospel.  He told them
everything that they were enduring would be worth it.  Whatever price they had to pay, Eternity with God was worth every tear, every struggle, every suffering.
I tried to read this letter of encouragement today, thinking how much it must have meant to those persecuted Christians.  As I read, I thought how often I can have those same discouraging thoughts.  No, I have not been tortured and forced to leave my home.  Most of my family and friends are believers so I don't worry about being ostracized because of my faith.  But there are days when I feel overwhelmed and wonder why God won't make my struggles go away.  In my heart, I know His plan is best.  I know He loves me and I trust Him completely.  But still, why?  Why does it have to be so hard? 

I see others who seem to have it so easy.  They go about their lives doing whatever they want to do, without a thought of how God wants them to live.  And everything seems to go their way.  What's up with that?  It's not fair.  At least from my earthly perspective.

The problem is that I forget that this world is not my home.  For a little while, Satan is prince of this world.  Of course he would want evil to look enticing.  Of course he would make a godless life seem attractive, successful, blessed.  He is the master of deception and wants to destroy you and me, and everything that matters to us.  What better way than to lure us into his pit than by making his way seem so pleasant.

I know without a doubt that God is more powerful than the Enemy.  But for a little while, He has given Satan power on earth.  But... He also gave us Power over the Enemy through Christ.  Whatever Satan throws at us, God gives us His Strength and His wisdom to overcome any challenge.  And when we listen to God and follow His plan for living a godly life, we come out stronger and better able to be His witness to others.  Those very struggles that Satan tries to use to destroy us, God can use to make us stronger in our faith. 

Whatever we face on earth can be used for good if we follow God.  This life is so short. While we are here, we have two choices:  to live for Christ or to live for ourselves.  Every trial we face can be either a living testimony to our trust in the Lord, or we can allow Satan to use it to tear us down and destroy our witness.  I want my life to be a living sacrifice of praise and gratitude for all Christ has done for me.  I want others to see me rising victoriously through every obstacle, every adversity.  I can't do it on my own, but Jesus has promised to give me everything I need to live a godly life that honors Him.

This is the beginning of Peter's love letter to believers who have been facing such persecution and hardship.  He understood the pain and suffering.  But he also knew what a precious gift they had been given.  Eternal life through Christ!  That's what he wanted them to remember. He wanted them to know it was all going to be worth it.

If you have a moment, read all of 1 Peter.  It is packed with words of hope and encouragement.

1 Peter 1 New Living Translation (NLT)

Greetings from Peter


This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.


I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

May God give you more and more grace and peace.

The Hope of Eternal Life


All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,  and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.  And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.


So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.  These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.


You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.  The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.

This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when He told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and His great glory afterward.


They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.


A Call to Holy Living


So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.  So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.  But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.  For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”


And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time as “foreigners in the land.”  For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver.  It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days.


Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because He raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory.


You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.


For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.  As the Scriptures say,

“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”


And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.


As the old song goes "I never promised you a rose garden".   Faith isn't faith until it's tested, right?
Faith is believing when you can't see.  Trusting God's way when your way seems so much better.  I can truly say the struggles have made me draw closer to God.  My faith has been tested, not as much as some others, but, but like Paul,  I know in whom I believe and I know that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him for that Day.

1 Timothy 1:8-12 NKJV
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.



Peter's letter to the believers was full of love and encouragement and hope.  He wanted them to understand that as hard as it was, they were not alone. He wanted them to know that the Holy Spirit was with them every single step.  And to the degree they were willing to allow HIM access, they could tap in to the Power and Strength of God, through His Holy Spirit living in them.

This verse in 2 Peter is what started me thinking about my walk with Christ this morning.  I feel so inadequate to live a godly life.  Like Paul, I too, feel that the good I want to do, I don't.  And the things I should not do, that's what I do.  But I don't have to live like that.  I have the strength, courage, and power to live each day for Christ - through His Strength.  He has given me everything I need.  Thank You, Lord.


2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

"despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

http://youtu.be/MUWbmtbzDno - Praise You in the storm - Casting Crowns

Bearing my own cross

Luke 9:20-35 New Living Translation (NLT)


20 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”

Jesus Predicts His Death

21 Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. 22 “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”


23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?


Thanks Ben, for this post on FB.


"All the children of God have a cross to carry. They have trials, troubles, and afflictions to go through for the Gospel’s sake. They have trials from the world, trials from the flesh, and trials from the devil. They have trials of feeling from relations and friends – hard words, hard conduct, and hard judgment. They have trials in the matter of character – slander, misrepresentation, mockery, suggestion of false motives – all these often rain thick upon them. They have trials in the matter of worldly interest. They often have to choose whether they will please people, and lose glory; or gain glory and offend people. They have trials from their own hearts. They have each generally their own thorn in the flesh, which is their worst foe. This is the experience of the children of God. Some of them suffer more, and some less. Some of them suffer in one way, and some in another. God measures out their portions like a wise physician, and cannot err. But never, I believe, was there one child of God who reached paradise without a cross."

J.C. Ryle

John 16:33 New Living Translation (NLT)


I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

We are never promised a happy, "no problems" kind of life.  We are promised trials and sorrows. And even though God warned us these things would come, we get angry at Him for allowing bad things to happen.  We forget that His power works best in our weaknesses.  When we are weak, then we are strong because He comes along side us to get us through.

Paul suffered from a "thorn in his side".  We don't know what that thorn was, whether it was a physical illness, chronic pain, maybe it was emotional - the loss of a spouse or relationship with family/friends, maybe it was mental struggles... We don't know, but whatever it was, it was chronic and God wouldn't take it away. 

Don't you just know Paul struggled with that?  He had so much to do for the Kingdom and this thorn must have slowed him down.  He asked God three times to take it away.  Have you ever been there?  I have.  I know that pain, that feeling that God isn't listening.  But instead of blaming God, Paul used that thorn to allow Christ to have full reign over his life and struggles. 

2 Corinthians 12
12 This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. 3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.


5 That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. 6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.




I don't believe God causes the bad things in my life, but He most definitely has taken some of my worst moments and used them for good.

God in His infinite wisdom and love, carefully filters every struggle, every suffering, every unbearable circumstance through His unfathomable love for us, allowing only those things that can have purpose and meaning in our lives and/or in the lives of people whom we can influence for Him.  His purpose is for us to have fellowship/relationship with Him and with others.  Struggles can facilitate those relationships.

We grow closer to God when we realize we cannot face this life without Him.  We grow closer to one another when we see our brothers and sisters in Christ rushing to our side to help carry our burden when we are suffering.  This is true communion in the Spirit.  Loving as we have been loved.  This is what God wants for us.  His perfect fellowship.

Jesus told us we each have our own cross to bear.  He warned us about the trials and sorrows in this world,   but He also gave us our Hope.  He has already overcome the world and everything thing in it.  He has promised to provide all we need to get through whatever struggle or suffering or trial we may be called to endure.  All we have to do is keep our eyes on Him, trusting in His Strength and His Power that He has promised to provide. Listening and following where He leads us.



Philippians 4:12-13 NLT
¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Romans 8:35-37
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.




http://youtu.be/Hlh6_5znn7U  - Lead me to the Cross - Francesca Battistelli