Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever {No Matter What Monday}

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Psalm 100-5

“Would you still love me if I murdered someone?” my son asked recently, and it wasn’t the first time. He loves to push the hypothetical limits and find out whether my love would survive. My answer is always the same: “I love you because you’re my child. Because you’re mine. Nothing will ever change that. You’ll always be my son, so I will always love you.”

I often tell my kids that I don’t love them because they obey or get good grades or treat each other kindly. I love them because they are my children. Because nothing can change their status as my children, nothing can change my love for them. They didn’t earn it, so they can’t lose it.

I desperately want my children to understand this concept so I can explain that God’s love is similar. Except God’s love is even better—it is perfect, and mine is not! I will always love my children, but I don’t always act lovingly toward them. I get impatient. I get angry. I lose my temper. I fail to keep my promises when I get busy, forget, or change my mind.

God loves us perfectly all the time. His love for us is rooted in our status as His children, not on our behavior or accomplishments. We could never earn His love. Christ earned it for us, and He died for us so we could share in His inheritance as children of God. Because we didn’t earn God’s love, we can’t lose it.

His love will never fail you. Nothing you do will ever change or lessen God’s perfect love for you. God’s love is a solid rock to cling to when trials come.

Psalm 100:5: For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

No matter what you face this week, His steadfast love for you endures forever.

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Christ Died for Us {No Matter What Monday}

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Romans 5-8

Most of us will never face the excruciating decision of whether or not we will die to spare someone else’s life. But think with me for a moment: For whom would you die? A family member or close friend? If you were in the unimaginable situation of choosing between your life or your child’s life, would you die for your child? There are loved ones I would die for, but I have to admit, the list for is short.

What if a criminal broke into your home and stole all that you had. He robbed you blind, showing his disdain for you, your family, and your belongings. Then an even nastier criminal found him, dragged him to you, and gave you a choice: your life or his. Would you die for the one who hated you? What if the choice was between the criminal’s life or your child’s life? Would you sacrifice your son or daughter to spare the criminal? I wouldn’t.

But God did.

Romans 5:6-8: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were yet sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us. We can confidently trust God’s love for us, because He proved it on a real day in history, when a real man who was also the Son of God bled and died to save us from God’s wrath. The Father did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up so His enemies could become His children (see Romans 8:32).

No matter what we face this week, we can trust God’s love is true, because Christ died for us.

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We have a Reason to Rejoice {No Matter What Monday}

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Romans 5-2

What makes you happy?

A good night’s sleep? A delicious dinner you didn’t have to cook? A new pair of shoes? (Those are all near the top of my list!)

These small blessings bring happiness, but often those feelings are fleeting. We enjoy dinner out with friends and then our mood sours because an inconsiderate driver cuts us off on our way home. We’re ecstatic about our new shoes until we see someone else with a pair we’d rather have. And when we struggle with ongoing, difficult circumstances, happiness can be hard to find—no matter how many pairs of shoes we buy.

Last week, we saw in Romans 5:1 that we have peace with God through faith in Christ. In the next verse, we read that we always have a reason to rejoice:

“Through [Christ] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)

Because of Christ, we have a secure standing before God and a firm hope in eternal life. We stand in the grace of Christ’s righteousness given to us. He gives us the promise that we will share in God’s glory one day in Heaven. This is an unchanging reason to rejoice!

This week as you face difficulties, cling to the promise that you stand secure in God’s grace and the hope of eternity with Him. And as Paul says in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

No matter what you face this week, God’s promises give you a reason to rejoice.

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We have Peace with God {No Matter What Monday}

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Romans 5-1

What are your greatest fears? Take a minute and name a few. Now answer this: what should be your greatest fears?

Maybe you’re afraid of natural disasters or terrorism affecting your family. But statistically speaking, you should be more concerned about car accidents and heart disease. Sometimes our greatest fears don’t line up with the greatest threats we face.

If we fear that which is our greatest threat, we should all fear God’s wrath. We belong to a holy and righteous Creator who will hold us accountable for our actions. And we will all fall short (Romans 3:23). But the good news of the gospel is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). If you are in Christ by faith, you are covered by His righteousness and have no reason to fear!

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Because of Christ, we have peace with God. We are reconciled to our Heavenly Father and Righteous Judge, the Lord God Almighty. We are declared righteous by God because of the righteousness given to us by Christ. Justification by faith eliminates our greatest threat – that which should be our greatest fear.

As a result, we can live confidently and face all our lesser fears. All other threats are temporary. All other fears come under the reign of the One who gave His own Son to turn away His wrath from us. We can praise His name as we walk through suffering because our greatest need has been met: our need to have peace with God.

No matter what you face this week, you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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