Fill in the Blank – February 21, 2024

Read: Romans 8:31-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or 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

Fill in the Blank

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Teachers love to use different kinds of questions on tests. Some questions are multiple-choice. Those are the easiest. You get to pick from one of three possible answers. Some questions are short-answer or essay questions in which you have to write out your answer to the questions. Some questions are fill-in-the-blank. The teacher gives you a statement with a line in it. You have to figure out what goes on the line. For example:

God _______ you.

What do you think fills in the blank? God loves you.

The last two verses of our reading for today could really be fill in the blank. God promises us that he will never stop loving us. He promises us that he will always be with us. He promises that he will make everything in our lives work out for our good.

And that means that nothing can separate us from his love.

The apostle Paul lists all kinds of examples of things that won’t separate you from God’s love—angels, demons, the present, the future, powerful people, scary heights, or dangerous depths. Not even death can separate us from God’s love because when we die, he is going to take us to be with him forever in heaven.

You can be sure of that because not even your sins can separate you from God. The punishment for our sins is that we would be separated from God forever in hell, but Jesus suffered that punishment for us on the cross. You can’t commit a sin that God won’t forgive.

You can put anything in those blanks: “For I am convinced that neither mean kids at school nor unfair teachers, neither getting sick nor getting in trouble with my parents, neither the lies I told nor naughty things I did, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing can separate you from God’s love, not even ____________. How would you fill in the blank? What makes you feel distant from God? Whatever it is, here’s God’s promise: It can’t separate you from his love!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for your amazing love. Help me to trust that nothing in the world could make you stop loving me. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Name one scary thing and one hard thing that you have trouble getting over.
• Why don’t you ever need to be scared?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Verse 31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” What do you think that means?
• How is Jesus’ death on the cross the greatest proof of God’s love for us?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• What are the hardest times or situations to trust that God still loves you? Why?
• You have a friend who is depressed, maybe even to the point that he or she doesn’t want to live anymore. How could today’s devotion help them to find hope?