Fazed by nothing

And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us -who was raised to life for us! - is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: (They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one). None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.

Romans 8:33-37

I wonder if Paul is being autobiographical here. Obviously Christians are not immune from trouble, hard times, hatred, hunger, homelessness, bullying threats, backstabbing or murder. There's no easy path set out for followers of Jesus that will remove the pain of facing difficulty. But what Paul hangs on to in the middle of the worst of times is the comfort of knowing that the love of Jesus is constant. It's unconditional love for all conditions.

So what's the practice called for here? How do we respond when people do mess with God's chosen? What do we do when someone does dare to point a finger? Paul's not into returning the threats. He's into turning to the source of love. Good move.