“He that is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” -Matthew 12:30. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” –Luke 11:23.“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one Who died—more than that, Who was raised—Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’[quoting from Psalm 44:22] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” -Romans 8:31-36 (ESV) Please read also Romans 8:37-39.
“The question is not: ‘Is God on our side?’ The question is, ‘Are we on God’s side.’” So stated President Ronald Reagan when he spoke before a joint session of the Senate and House. It was as if he was giving his personal testimony of faith. In the same speech he also said: “God has a divine plan for each of us…No greater picture of faith of a U. S. leader is seen than that of Washington on his knees at Valley Forge. And I think of Abraham Lincoln who said, ‘Many and many a time have I been driven to my knees in prayer to seek God’s guidance, to learn His will in difficult decisions.’” Reagan added that he does often as President Lincoln did: Pray for guidance. He wanted to “be on God’s side.”
The length of this brief devotional cannot do justice to the large subject, “Are we on God’s side,” nor to the scriptures I’ve cited above for our thoughts. A wise pastor said, “If a scripture is given twice or more, take heed. God really wants you to learn its truth.” The scripture from Matthew, Luke and Romans kept pounding in my consciousness. “He that is not with me is against me”…and “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The contexts are different for each of the cited scriptures. In Matthew, Jesus was discoursing about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which scholars term the “unforgivable sin.” The quotation from Luke 11:23 uses the same words from Jesus as recorded in Matthew 12:30, but the context is different in Luke. There, Jesus had just cast an evil spirit from a man that had rendered the victim mute, and Jesus’ opponents accused him of being in league with Beelzebub, or the devil. That led Jesus to discourse on a house divided against itself, or, to put it in plain terms, a kingdom (and I think we could say, a person, too) being unable to stand if it (or he/she) pulls in opposite directions at once. Well that He said, “Whoever is not with me is against me.”
On a personal level, we cannot allow our nature to seek to follow God while at the same time hanging onto evil. God is for us—He wants the best for us. But, as President Reagan aptly stated, “Are we on God’s side?” The context of Paul’s writing to the Romans is following a discourse on predestination. And there’s another term over which much ink has been spilled by scholars. I like the black minister’s explanation of predestination. “There are three votes to be cast, brethren and sisters. God votes one for us, the devil votes one against us, and you, my friend, vote one. God, He be for you; the Devil, he be against you; and whichever way you vote, that’s the way it’s going to be!” How much clearer can we get on whether God predestines that each of us follow Him, that He is for each of us? It’s the way we vote—what we decide in regard to salvation and living the Christian life. Paul went on to state unequivocally that nothing—absolutely nothing—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus: not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation! When we are on God’s side, victory is assuredly ours! Praise be to God!
“The question is not: ‘Is God on our side?’ The question is, ‘Are we on God’s side.’” So stated President Ronald Reagan when he spoke before a joint session of the Senate and House. It was as if he was giving his personal testimony of faith. In the same speech he also said: “God has a divine plan for each of us…No greater picture of faith of a U. S. leader is seen than that of Washington on his knees at Valley Forge. And I think of Abraham Lincoln who said, ‘Many and many a time have I been driven to my knees in prayer to seek God’s guidance, to learn His will in difficult decisions.’” Reagan added that he does often as President Lincoln did: Pray for guidance. He wanted to “be on God’s side.”
The length of this brief devotional cannot do justice to the large subject, “Are we on God’s side,” nor to the scriptures I’ve cited above for our thoughts. A wise pastor said, “If a scripture is given twice or more, take heed. God really wants you to learn its truth.” The scripture from Matthew, Luke and Romans kept pounding in my consciousness. “He that is not with me is against me”…and “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The contexts are different for each of the cited scriptures. In Matthew, Jesus was discoursing about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which scholars term the “unforgivable sin.” The quotation from Luke 11:23 uses the same words from Jesus as recorded in Matthew 12:30, but the context is different in Luke. There, Jesus had just cast an evil spirit from a man that had rendered the victim mute, and Jesus’ opponents accused him of being in league with Beelzebub, or the devil. That led Jesus to discourse on a house divided against itself, or, to put it in plain terms, a kingdom (and I think we could say, a person, too) being unable to stand if it (or he/she) pulls in opposite directions at once. Well that He said, “Whoever is not with me is against me.”
On a personal level, we cannot allow our nature to seek to follow God while at the same time hanging onto evil. God is for us—He wants the best for us. But, as President Reagan aptly stated, “Are we on God’s side?” The context of Paul’s writing to the Romans is following a discourse on predestination. And there’s another term over which much ink has been spilled by scholars. I like the black minister’s explanation of predestination. “There are three votes to be cast, brethren and sisters. God votes one for us, the devil votes one against us, and you, my friend, vote one. God, He be for you; the Devil, he be against you; and whichever way you vote, that’s the way it’s going to be!” How much clearer can we get on whether God predestines that each of us follow Him, that He is for each of us? It’s the way we vote—what we decide in regard to salvation and living the Christian life. Paul went on to state unequivocally that nothing—absolutely nothing—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus: not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation! When we are on God’s side, victory is assuredly ours! Praise be to God!
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