The apostle Paul wrote Romans to introduce himself to Christians in Rome, a city he had never visited (cf. Romans 1:10). In today’s reading, he summed up the letter’s first eight chapters, in which he laid out the good news of the gospel as he preached it. For him, God’s love was not abstract or theoretical. He faced all of his life’s challenges with the profound
personal certainty that “nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We, too, can live each day in that deep, life-giving trust.

• Would you say that your life so far has pretty much worked out the way you’d hoped, or have you had significant hurdles and pain to overcome? What circumstances or events are most likely to leave you feeling separated from God’s love? What spiritual “anchors” help you to stay connected to God’s love and the hope and peace God offers, even when times get difficult?