![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/Romans_8_31-32.jpg)
| “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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 8:31-32 |
“It’s clear sailing from here on out.” Those words of comfort came from the pilot who successfully guided the cargo ship through the tortuous route from the dock, through the shipping channel, and out into the ocean. The captain of the vessel breathed a sigh of relief. His ship was finally safe in open water with no other vessels and no obstacles in sight. Nothing could stop his forward progress now.
In our lives, we often come up against obstacles that try to prevent us from reaching our goal. And, when that goal is serving God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, it is particularly troubling to find ourselves facing opposition.
But, the Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians gathered in the church at Rome, shared these very encouraging words that we can apply to our situation, as well. Notice what Paul wrote, as recorded in Romans 8:31-32:
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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?
No matter what obstacle may pop up in our way, nothing and no one can oppose us. God is on our side because He chose us to belong to Himself. He graciously gives us all things, including peace of mind and heart. We can face this new day with our eyes wide open and our heads held high, knowing that nothing and no one can stop our forward movement along the pathway that God has laid out before us. That is very comforting and we should cling to this important truth.
Author’s note: This day, I celebrate the 70th anniversary of the day of my birth. By God’s grace and His protection, I have reached this milestone. I am humbled to still be alive. Well-meaning and highly skilled doctors had expressed doubts that I would ever live this long. I am, on the one hand, surprised that I have done so. On the other hand, I can give strong testimony to the very truth expressed in this blog post. God has preserved me. He has removed obstacles in my pathway. He alone deserves the praise for my reaching this day.
I have now walked with God for 61 years. My “spiritual birthday” is sometime in October of 1956 when an evangelist, Oral Bradford, a chalk artist, issued a call for those who wanted to invite Jesus into their hearts to come forward. I fairly rushed to the altar. Rev. Bradford patiently showed me from the Scriptures God’s invitation to receive His gift of salvation.
Throughout these many years, I have failed in my quest to be faithful to God many times. He has always graciously received my prayers of repentance and always welcomed me to return to full fellowship with Him. He has also never stopped giving me such a great outpouring of His finest gifts that I can hardly begin to list all that He has done for me.
The most important thing that I can do on this signal day is to offer the highest possible praise I can give Him for who He is and what He has done for me. I would say to anyone reading this who has not yet acknowledged the gift of eternal life that God freely gives, to please not hesitate one more moment. While many have mocked this simple phrase, it remains absolutely true: “God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life.” I would urge you to find a church that preaches the Scriptures and offers opportunities for you to learn more about God, His precious Son, Jesus, His blessed Holy Spirit, and His wonderful written Word, the Bible. In the company of fellow believers, you will be able to learn and grow in your faith.
The Christian life is not one of “giving up the fun things in life.”” Rather, it is a life of receiving the very best that God has to offer those who belong to Him. Until you are inside the walls of His Kingdom, you cannot understand how overwhelmingly blessed you are to belong to Him. Don’t hesitate one more moment. Simply speak to God in prayer. Acknowledge that you need Him. Thank Him for giving you the gift of His salvation. Ask Him to open up His new life for you this day. He will surely hear your prayer and answer it by welcoming you into His Kingdom.
