“ANYTHING ELSE!”

Romans 8:37-39                                      (ESV)

“37 No, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through HIM who loved us.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height nor depth, nor “ANYTHING ELSE” IN ALL CREATION, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD in CHRIST JESUS our LORD”.

Sometimes we try to “twist” Scripture to say more or less than what it says according to the situation we find ourselves in at the time.  Allowing “the enemy” to “twist” what GOD has spoken is precisely what happened in the garden of Eden, and those results speak for themselves!  

Recently seeing a story from a self-described drug-addict reminded me that GOD usually doesn’t take the cream of the crop, HE most commonly CALLS those who will honor HIM for the transformation HE makes in their lives!  This young person said they thought they were too far gone to be rescued, but one of my favorite quotes is “GOD delights in impossibilities”!  When we are beyond hope of man, GOD is the only ONE WHO can get credit!  

The author of Romans says that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor “ANYTHING ELSE” IN ALL CREATION, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD”!  A fine example of this in Luke 23:43 when JESUS told the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with ME in paradise."  JESUS said “this day”, not when you obey the rules that mankind has added to the equation.  “ANYTHING ELSE” pretty much covers it all!  

Like I said to begin with, we can “twist” things however we choose, but the thief was literally minutes from the end of his physical life.  He had NOTHING to offer GOD bu his belief that JESUS was THE CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD!!  “ANYTHING ELSE” would make it JESUS AND SOMETHING??  Sure, living HOLY is what we should do, FOR HE IS HOLY!  But “ANYTHING ELSE” means “ANYTHING ELSE”, and I’ll not be accused of “twisting” HIS WORD!!!!