Background Story: Paul wrote the book of Romans as a letter to the church of Rome. The major themes of the book of Romans are mankind’s need for a Savior, salvation through Christ alone, and living as a Christ follower. For greater understanding on the themes of the book of Romans, check out this link.

Read Romans 8:31-39

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ 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.

Big Idea: The love of God brings safety and security.

You can trust in God’s love for you. It never changes. His love for you is a safe place that is not dependent on your circumstance or performance. Don’t believe me? The Bible says that, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Every morning when you wake up, God’s love is available and waiting. How does God’s love change us? God’s love changes the way we view ourselves. Different relationships will come into our lives that bring good and bad outcomes. It’s easy to see ourselves through the reflection of how our parents, friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, boss, or others feel about us. The problem is that people are fickle and unstable. Today a “friend” might think you’re great and tomorrow they might feel differently. How can we be secure in ourselves when people’s opinions of us are always changing?

Stability and security come when we see ourselves through the reflection of Christ. Those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior have received a new nature, a new identity, and a new future. All that came before has been forgiven, and we who were once subject to God’s wrath, are washed cleaned and made perfect. Fully loved. Seen. Chosen. Adopted. Highly valued. This identity is secure, purchased with the death and resurrection of Christ Himself.

In a world that expects you to conform to their expectations, realize today that a son or daughter of the Most High God must live out of their new identity. You can’t live as two people with two names. You are a new creation… the old has gone and the new has come.

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Dig Deeper: 2 Corinthians 5:15-17, Romans 8:3-16, Ephesians 1:4-5, John 1:10-13, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:10-15, Galatians 3:26-29, Ephesians 2:1-10, Hosea 2:19-20

Similar Devotions: My Identity, A New Name, The Restless Heart, Is It True?, Undivided Heart, The Door Is Already Open, Not Gonna Swerve, Swimming Upstream, Remaining Faithful, Leave the Pigs, Wedding Clothes, Chosen, Who I Am

Devotions4Teens Video: The Restless Heart, Thirsting For God, 3 Tips to Help You Grow Closer to God!, Becoming More Like Jesus