Romans 8:35, 38-39 (NIV)

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV)

10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Reflection

Planet of the Apes, I am Legend, and the Terminator movies are just a few of the many movies that have been made about end times. With cgi, end times can be made as gritty and realistic as one imagines. But these passages speak of a hope that the world knows nothing about and can never depict. It is a hope of an inseparable love of God with power that overcomes death. We get to be with God and experience the best love, fulfillment of all God’s promises for all of eternity. It makes what we have seen in movies or experienced on earth pale in comparison to what God has in store. His love compels us, moves us in the midst of life circumstances, sorrow and joy, it draws us to those who need Christ. We can give up much now for the sake of others because the best is yet to come!

Responding to the Transmission

Let’s pray for our friends, classmates, roommates, family, and co-workers who do not yet know that the best is yet to come in Christ. May they experience the love, hope, and joy of Christ. May we also continue to experience this to give us strength and press on until that final day when Christ returns and calls us to our Heavenly Home with Him.