Jesus’ Love Conquers All – February 23, 2024

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 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.
Romans 8:38,39

Jesus’ Love Conquers All

“Omnia vincit amor.” These words were penned by the ancient Latin poet Virgil. We know them in English as “love conquers all.” The only problem with Virgil’s conclusion is that he was speaking of a self-centered love, where sinful people finally choose the person or thing most irresistible to their sensuous desires. In other words, whatever brings me the greatest pleasure is the thing I will choose; my “love” for it “conquers” all other options. I get what I want the most.

Is that the kind of love Jesus has for us? Does he choose that which brings him the most pleasure? No, just the opposite. Earlier in his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul explained that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In other words, there was nothing in us that was pleasurable to Jesus.

But Jesus loved us and sacrificed his perfect life for our broken lives anyway. He took the world’s sins on his own shoulders and carried them to the cross, washing them away forever. More than that, he replaced our sins with his perfection.

Why would Jesus do that? Simple. Because he loved us. But his love wasn’t about bringing pleasure to himself; it was about giving salvation to us by his sacrifice.

But Jesus didn’t just love us in the distant past. He still loves us, and nothing else gets in the way of his love. As the apostle Paul explained, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 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.”

There’s no other love like it. Jesus’ love conquers all.

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for loving me with a love that conquers all. Amen.