Romans 8:38-39
Stuck on You: Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love
Like a sticker that bonds to a surface and refuses to come off, God's love for us in Christ Jesus is an unbreakable connection that no circumstance, no fear, and no failure can ever undo.
A Sticker That Won't Come Off
Do you like putting stickers on things? Maybe if you're a little kid, you really like putting stickers on things — finding a book of stickers and sticking them everywhere, in places where your parents won't find them: under your bed, on your wall, up in the corner.
One time at my church, there was a kid who loved giving out stickers, and she gave me one. It wasn't just a flat sticker — it was a cool puffy unicorn sticker. I put it on the dashboard of my car, and I loved it. Every time I looked at my dashboard, it made me smile.
But you know what happens when you leave a sticker on something for a long time. It stays stuck. Somehow the sticker works its way into every nook and cranny and gets really, really hard to pull off. Not washing, not heat, not fingernails, not even Goo Gone would fully get rid of that little unicorn sticker.
A Connection Stronger Than Any Sticker
Today we're reading from Romans chapter eight, and it talks about a connection with God that is stronger even than that sticker. It's the connection of God's love for you.
"I am convinced that neither life nor death, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." — Romans 8:38–39
The Apostle Paul puts a lot of big things on that list. Can any of them break us free from God's love for us?
Not the Present
What about the present — right now? If you have a really bad day or make a huge mistake today, does God let go of you? Does his love give up? No. He's stuck on you.
Not the Future
What about things to come — tomorrow, next year, or when we grow up? If you're worried about what's coming next, does that mean God will let go of you, that his love will run out? No. God's love is stuck to you.
Not Heights or Depths
And then Paul says "heights and depths." If you go to the highest mountain or the bottom of the deepest ocean, are you too far away from God's love? No. God's love is stuck on you.
God Is the One Holding On
Even if we feel weak and drop our end of the bargain — maybe because we're scared or sad or tired, or we make a mistake — God never lets go. He's the one sticking to us, not the other way around. He's the one who's holding on.
When you trust in Jesus, you are locked into God's love forever. No bully, no mistake, no scary dream, no bad day is strong enough to break the link between you and God. He's stuck to you. His love is for you, and you are safe in his hands no matter what.
Blessings, and have a great week.