About two months ago, I was in Kunming. There was a Mr. Lin there who had a cat in his house. That cat gave birth to three kittens. One day I went to Mr. Lin's house, and neither Mr. or Mrs. Lin were there. So I went to see the cats. I played with them and used my hand to pet them. The mother cat took the kittens in her mouth and ran away. None of the kittens were dropped. God's saving of us is not like the mother monkey bearing the little monkeys; we do not have to hold onto Him like the little monkeys holding onto their mother with their strength. If that were the case, and if the branches were a bit softer, a few swings and we would be dropped. God's saving of us is like the cat holding the kittens in its mouth. No matter how He runs, we will not be dropped. This is the keeping of God. If you want to hold on to God, it is too strenuous. In three to five years, or even much sooner, you would be dropped. We thank God that it is God who is holding us.

Finally, let us read Romans 8. Last night we read chapter eight, verse 30. We saw five rings. There is no difference in importance in these five rings. We saw that all those who were justified will be glorified. The glorification here in the original language is in the past tense. God is an eternal God. From God's viewpoint, all those who are justified have already been glorified. Maybe, on your side, you still have to wait for a thousand years for your glorification, but on God's side, in His purpose and His plan, it has already become history. Therefore, He says, "And those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified." God has already glorified them, and they have already been glorified. Hallelujah! The history has already been written. How can it be wrong? Your future history has already been written, and there is no way for you to change it. Since God has completed the writing of your future history and the future events, He has determined to accomplish it for you.

Because of this, the beginning of verse 31 says, "What then shall we say to these things?" If all the justified ones will be glorified, "What then shall we say?" We shall say nothing. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" God has already made up His mind. How can man be against it? "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died and, rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?" Here God is asking, even shouting to the whole world, "Who shall?" Paul asks "who" four times. "Who can be against us?" "Who shall bring a charge against God's chosen ones?" "Who is he that condemns?" "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Paul knew that there is no possibility for any of these things.

Paul did not say, "Who shall cause us not to love Christ?" We often do not love Christ. Oftentimes our love is shaken because it is drawn off by the world. We may not love Christ, but who can cause Christ not to love us? Whether tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword, all of these cannot separate us from the love of Christ.

Verse 37 says, "But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us." It is not through our loving the Lord, but through the Lord loving us. If it is through our loving Him, we are hopeless. If it is through our Lord loving us, then "in all these things we more than conquer....For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." This shows us clearly and definitely that once God has given us salvation, it is ours eternally. No one can overthrow this fact. These words are too high, too broad, and too profound.

May God show us that whatever God does, He does it thoroughly. God is the Alpha and the Omega. He never stops until the work is completed.