Do you love a good love story? Melanie and I went to see a new movie for our thirty-second anniversary. Have you seen Me Before You? It is a fascinating love story about a quadriplegic and a young woman who takes care of him. In Europe, he is trying to decide if he should continue to live or exercise his right to euthanasia. She is on a mission to save his life.
Is there a love which will rescue us? One friend shared with me recently that his greatest fear is dying alone. I taught our students at Camp Tallowood about Elijah who lay down beneath a broom tree and asked to die. Even Christians can despair of life. Overwhelmed by anxiety or fear, we may curl up in a ball. Is there a love that will rescue us from our fears and self-destructive tendencies?
Paul acknowledges in this magnificent chapter that we face death and sometimes feel like we are in the slaughter house. In all these things, God has made us more than conquerors through Christ. No circumstance in this world can separate us from God’s indomitable love for us. Remember the great hymn, “O love that wilt not let me go”? Paul is convinced that nothing on his comprehensive list can separate him from God’s love. This love is embodied in the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord.
