Good morning!
Text: Romans 4-5; Proverbs 20:16-30
Romans includes one of the places in the New Testament where we are told to rejoice in our sufferings:
…we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope… (Romans 5:2-4)
If you are in Christ, you have great and wonderful hope – the hope of glory. But perhaps even today, you have suffering in this life. The wonder is that the two go together. We are bound for glory – the blessings and joy of eternal life to come. But this day, our sufferings are at work in God’s hands to show us the way. Whatever you are dealing with right now is showing you that the hope is real. As we suffer trusting in Him, He gives us strength to endure. “Where did that come from?” we marvel when it happens. Of course, we know – our strength in suffering is the living evidence that Jesus is real. Our endurance strengthens our connection with Jesus and hence our character. The fruit of it all – deeper hope. What an incredible circuit. Our hope in Jesus gets us through suffering which yields the fruit of even greater hope.
Having a tough day? Rejoice…. as you see the reality of the hope being formed in your heart.
in Him, Mike