IS ANYBODY IN YOUR CORNER AND CHEERING FOR YOU?

SCRIPTURE:
He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all; 
how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?  
(Romans 8:32)

MEDITATION:
The verse preceding Romans 8:32 tells us a lot about God.
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? 
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

Some may raise the question, “Is God really for us?”
Of course He is – He created us!
That may be the reason Paul included the verse following Romans 8:31.
Paul wanted others to understand just how much God is for us.
He cares for us so much that He did not spare His own Son.
God gave His Son for us - what more could He do to show He is for us?

Paul says later that we should not judge or pre-judge those chosen by God.
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? 
It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one.
Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is 
at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Romans 8:33-34)

God has chosen every person to receive the gift of salvation, 
and when they choose to receive it, they become His chosen.
God is the one who justifies; man does not have the capability.

So what does all of this mean to us?
It means that our desire should be to seek Him, to become one of His 
chosen, to obey Him, to follow His guidance for our lives, to obey Him, 
and to serve Him in whatever capacity He has chosen for us.

And there are benefits for those who are His chosen.
Paul says He will “graciously give us all things”.
We should never perceive God as some type of Santa Clause 
who gives us everything we want.
God cares about us way too much to give us what we want.
He does much better – He gives us what we need!

Sometimes we may not even know what we need, but God does, 
and He gives those things to His chosen.
How great is that?
We don’t know what we need, but suddenly we receive it 
because our loving Heavenly Father is for us, and gives it to us.
When that happens, our life suddenly is much better
and we discover new abilities for handling the things that cross our paths.
Yes, God is for us and He will be for us when we meet Him in heaven. 

ACTION:
If you are a child of God, be encouraged to know that He is for you!
Others may ‘waffle’ from being a friend to not being a friend, 
but God never changes and He is the one ‘in your corner’.

No matter how you are treated by others, 
never forget that God is always your friend.
That doesn’t mean that He forfeits His status as Lord; 
being your friend is in addition to being your Lord – the One you worship.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving up Your Son for me. I have 
trouble grasping that at times, but it does assure me that You are ‘for me’. 
I could never adequately express my heartfelt appreciation for Your love 
for me and everyone else. Thank You for knowing and giving me what I 
need. Knowing that You are for me, gives me confidence that no matter 
what happens, in the end it is all going to be okay.”