Romans 8 v 38 – 39

Stick to me Like Glue

In 2020 my son in law and his brother and sister, decided to launch a new venture by taking over an empty shop unit in our village and opening a DIY store. The shop unit had previously been a Building Society so many of the fixtures and fittings could be retained and as COVID restrictions at the time permitted, I went to help with the erection of racking, shelving and display stands which then needed filling with the products that were for sale.

When the shop opened I spent some time guiding customers around the sales area and advising on various products. A lifetime in the construction industry began to pay off and I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in years, unfortunately COVID restrictions eventually put a stop to my involvement.

One thing that did impress me about the shop was the vast range of products that are available for those people who wish to do home improvements for themselves. Take adhesives for an example.  There are a multitude of adhesive products suited for every conceivable situation. Wallpaper adhesives for light weight papers, heavy weight papers, water proof papers, and even an adhesive that is coloured pink so that you can ensure that everywhere that needs to be pasted has been pasted.

I can remember a song about when father papered the parlour, you couldn’t see him for paste.

There are adhesives that will stick anything to anything including fingers to fingers if the necessary safety precautions are not complied with.

But it can get confusing. I had a customer who came into the shop asking for glue that would stick glass. I showed them a couple of suitable products, and then I remembered a range of adhesives with a trade name of Gorilla. I am sure that one of these would be suitable, I assured them, and Gorilla is a very good product.

The look of disgust on their face was unmistakable and the reply was that rainforests were being destroyed by that stuff. As the logic behind the statement escaped me I moved on to the Evo Stick.

All of today’s modern adhesives are very efficient and convenient, some in tubes with dispensers and most ready to use. Many years ago I can remember my dad boiling up a solid block of glue in a pan in our cellar at home when he was making window frames. The smell was revolting.

 I can also remember a TV advertisement for well-known wallpaper adhesive where a pair of overalls was pasted to a board, a man climbed into them, and he was lifted up by a helicopter to demonstrate the strength of the product. I always admired the man’s faith in the product, or was all a trick?

In Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome he reassures them of the power of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ which will adhere them to God. Romans Chapter 8 verses 38 to 39 is the culmination of Paul’s explanation of how faith in Jesus ensures that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Paul is anxious that the believers may feel insecure about God’s love when they replace the Law of Moses with their belief in Jesus Christ so he searches and lists everything in life that could be seen to alienate us from God. His list includes, trouble, hardship, persecution, hunger, poverty, danger and death.                                                                                                  He concludes that only sin could isolate us from God’s love but sin had been overcome by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God sent his only son to be the sacrifice that will give us salvation.

The outcome of Paul’s search is to prove without doubt that nothing can separate us from the love of God. No other message can give us more security and hope for the future than that.

Noel and Tricia Richards wrote these words in their song of praise,

Now by God’s grace we have embraced

A life set free from sin

We shall deny all that destroys

Our union with him

Nothing shall separate us from the love of God.

Years ago while at college I visited a factory that produced a specific type of glue from animal bones. The process involved boiling the bones of animals to extract a basic ingredient of the glue. The smell was unbelievable and even worse than my dad in the cellar at home.

I wonder if the customer in the shop thought that they boiled up Gorilla bones to make Gorilla glue????

I’m sure they don’t.

Derek T.