how loved we are

by Pastor Jim Rovaggi

I hope this e-votional finds you doing well today. What I have to share is for those who may be dispirited or in the doldrums. Perhaps you’re struggling with full fledged depression or maybe you’re just a little “down” for whatever reason. Many times we attend church, pick our favorite seat next to that brother or sister who smiles at us and shakes our hand, and they never know the struggle we may be going through. If that’s you today read on.
My thoughts this morning are on the more somber side. I have a fifty year old aunt, Esterina, who went to be with the Lord last week after undergoing a severe sickness that placed her in a coma. As the family prayed and waited, she did come out of the coma simply to pass away several days later. But it is a testament to the grace and mercy of the Lord that He allowed my father’s sister to be conscious in her last moments to share a tiny message that I will never forget.
Allow me to describe this little Sicilian woman. My earliest memories are of a short stout woman who giggled constantly and was as sweet and loving as they come. She struggled with various handicaps that somewhat hindered her mobility and even her mental abilities and so rendered her the type of individual that would most likely be very forgettable to most people passing by her today. She was loving, often silly, innocent in many ways, and had a child like faith that the pillars in the spiritual community would envy. She struggled a bit to read, but that didn’t stop her from reading the word of God and it certainly didn’t stop her from praying. In fact I can say with confidence, she prayed for her entire family most every night.
It has been years since I had seen her, and quite frankly, weeks since my thoughts turned towards her. Being separated by miles of ocean sometimes tends to distance us from loved ones. When I received the call last week that she had gone on to be with the Lord, my first reaction was resignation. “She’s better off“. I thought to myself. My mother tearfully went on to share that my aunt’s final words were, “I see my mom and dad, they’re calling me home.” I have to admit that I got off the phone very quickly at that point, because I was too choked up to continue. I was struck with the truth that this forgettable little woman was not forgettable at all to the loving Savior she had worked to serve for the majority of her life.
When my father-in-law passed away years ago, he was surrounded by family. Countless friends from church had been in and out of his hospital room to bring comfort and encouragement. I remember in the days preceding his death, he was concerned for those he was leaving behind. Of course we did our best to console him but true consolation could only come from the Holy Spirit. Even as he slipped away, I will never forget a statement he made to my brother-in-law and I. “You guys are like my brothers”. It seemed odd to me at the time. But in retrospect it became evident to me that God was giving him a level of confidence, and peace, that those he was leaving behind would be taken care of; that as he went home to be with a loving God, there was no need for anxiety.
Getting back to my aunt, many of her family members were far away in those final moments, but the presence of the Lord was not. I have no doubt that the arms of Jesus were more than adequate to collect her Spirit to Himself.
I would not describe myself as a mystical sort of person. Although I often feel very clearly, the leading of the Holy Spirit in various ways, I have never heard the audible voice of God. I have seen some wonderful manifestations of the Spirit of God but I don’t see prophecy around every corner, and I admit to a certain degree of skepticism when I hear someone flippantly toss around statements like, “God spoke to me and said this and that…” With that said, I did not take her final words lightly. I fully believe that the Lord was welcoming her into eternal glory and quelling whatever fear she may have faced.
Here is what I need to share with you today. In the same way that Jesus loves a precious soul, living, for all intents and purposes, in the middle of nowhere, He loves you. He desires to sustain, and protect, and nurture you in life and in death. I was reminded in a powerful way with Esterina’s “home going” that we are in the Lord’s thoughts constantly. He never ceases to love you! Are you frustrated today? Are circumstances threatening to drag you under? Finances? Relational problems? Health Issues? God has not forgotten you. He loves you. Let Him comfort you! You are his dear little child! A young lady in a recent home bible study shared that His love was able to manifest itself like arms surrounding her in a warm hug. Can you understand today, how loved you truly are? I pray that you experience God holding you today.

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded 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 sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God Bless You! ...And may He make us blessable!

Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544