Last Monday, we finished the final chapter of Ashley Linne’s Bible study, Inseparable: Who I Am, Was, and Will Be in Christ. I don’t have a video for you today, just some final thoughts.

We live in a world filled with chaos. Last week, we saw terrorism strike at the heart of France. And that sort of evil running rampant puts us on edge…it makes us fearful and it makes us angry. Christianity is under attack by radical Islam. And Christian values are under attack daily in Western nations.

If we look at the world around us, we might think that all is lost.

When we look a little closer to home, we see ourselves struggling with hate too. We see ourselves unable to uphold Christian values like selflessness and humility, self-control and love. How can we say that we live up to the name “Christian”?

If we look at ourselves, we might think all is lost. 

As always, it is best to take our eyes from ourselves, and the world, and put them on Truth.

We may be our own worst enemies, but:

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:33-34, ESV).

We may have real enemies—real evil—in pursuit of us, but:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35-37, ESV).

Enemies within, enemies without, but:

“I am sure 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 in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, ESV).

I think we can get discouraged, when we see so much sin and destruction in our own lives and hearts and in the world around us. It’s a mess. We’re a mess.

Yet, God is so wise and creative and indomitable. He creates life out of death—He did this through Jesus Christ—and Jesus continues creating life out of death, daily, in us. I am beginning to see HOPE in the messes. Not a glimmer, not a ray of hope. A brilliant, blinding, intense shaft of HOPE cutting through the mess.

See, WE are dismayed, discouraged and overwhelmed by the messes. But not God! Messes are where He does His best work. [tweetthis]WE are dismayed, discouraged and overwhelmed by the messes. But not God! Messes are where He does His best work.[/tweetthis] If we just look, we can find God’s best in the mess.

• It is the mess that allows us to see, and long for, His perfection (1 John 3:5). [tweetthis]It is the mess that allows us to see, and long for, His perfection (1 John 3:5).[/tweetthis]
• It is the mess that demonstrates our need for order, and our God is a God of order, not chaos (1 Corinthians 14:33).
• It is knowing that I am a mess that leads me to “the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).[tweetthis]It is knowing that I am a mess that leads me to “the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).[/tweetthis]

When it looks like all is lost, it isn’t. Look at us. We are the proof of God’s good plan. Though we were lost, we have been found (Luke 19:10). And what does it mean, to be found? It means that no one, neither us nor any evil-doers, can snatch us from His hand (John 10:28). In Christ, we are Inseparable.

Thank you to Ashley for reminding us of these truths so well:

For the next two weeks, I will be taking a little break from blogging. I am working on outside projects, preparing a Simple Advent Devotional, and thinking about changes I want to make on my website.  If you haven’t already, please click her to subscribe to my newsletter and stay up to date while I am offline (after you activate your subscription, you’ll get today’s pretty printable, just for fun). And I will send you the Simple Advent Devotional, via newsletter, next week.

For the next two weeks, I covet your prayers. I need to use my time efficiently…and I am finding that doing this is hard for me. 😛  I’m excited to begin work in a new direction and I can’t wait to share it with you. See you again soon!