Nor

"Will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord," Romans 8:39.

Nor. That word, Nor, weird as it may sound, links all sorts of circumstances and entities that share one common attribute. But first, what are the things linked by that conjunction? Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, the present, the future, powers, heights, depths, (nor) anything else in all creation. (What in the world is left out of the list?!) All these have one common characteristic: they have no power. None. They have no capacity. None. They have no faculty. None. No ability to what? To accuse us. To condemn us. To separate us from God's love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As we laugh with a brother or sister today, we joy in the fathomless assurance we have with God's hyper-triumph in Christ. And, together, we lift holy hands in praise and thanksgiving for his imperishable love.