On Your Side

Romans 8:31  What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Ephesians 1:4-5   Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 31:3  Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

Romans 5:8  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

What do these verses have in common?  They all show God to be our biggest fan.  He is always on our side, always loving us....even when we make the biggest mistakes, even when we rail at His decisions and ways, even if we run from Him, trying to hide ourselves away.  So if God is for us in every  way....why should we be so set against ourselves?  This has been brought home to me over the last week through a couple of different teachings.  Why am I so against myself?  Why am I not on my own side? 

We criticize, we wallow in guilt, we dissect every mistake, every bad decision over and over again.  It's almost as if God's forgiveness is not enough.  We walk around feeling condemned or less than, forgetting that we have a Savior who loves us.  Who cherishes us.   We say we have repented of the wrongs we have done and then walk away feeling the stains because we carry the guilt away with us instead of leaving at the foot of the Cross. 

God is for us!  God is for me!!  Say that to yourself.  Say it over and over again.  Say it when guilt comes.  Say it when fear comes.  Worry, shame, disgust....say it, say it, say it.  If God is for me....NO ONE can be against me...even myself.  If God is for me, I should be for me too! 

God's love never changes.  When I'm right, when I'm wrong, when I succeed, when I fail...His love remains.  He stay on my side.  Think on these things. 

Romans 8:31-39  31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.  35 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.

Lord, thank You.  You are always on my side.  Teach us to be on our own side.  To love ourselves, to care for ourselves.  Not in a haughty or selfish way...but humbly, because we are Yours, blessed and chosen by You.  Selflessly, that we may serve others because we know our worth comes from You.  Lord, I don't believe You created us or died for us to walk around weighed down by guilt, condemnation or self-hatred,  You didn't make us to be angry at ourselves or live in shame.  You came that we "may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10).  Lord, teach us to live in this fullness....full of joy, full of peace, full of love...all good gifts that come from Your hand.  Teach us to not hate ourselves...heal us.  Let us be people who are on our own sides!  If You are for us why should we be against ourselves. 

Think about God being on your side.  Remind yourself of this often.