Romans Chapter 5 is entitled “Peace and Joy” in my Bible. I encourage you to go grab your Bible right now and read that chapter. To me it is both a challenge for us to persevere and to rejoice in suffering, as well as an encouraging reminder that we have been justified by faith and we can find peace in Christ! Two of the verses that have always stuck out to me in this passage are verses 3-4 which say: “…we also rejoice in our suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope.” We not only endure, but we rejoice while we are suffering. This produces the ability to persevere, which produces character and hope. Who doesn’t long to have hope? What believer doesn’t long to have character, a godly character? Who doesn’t long to be able to persevere in all things? All of this starts with rejoicing in suffering. Ok, great to know right? Now, what does that look like in our everyday lives? I am learning that it’s great to know what God can do, that people are praying for me, what the Bible says, but the hard part in my life if figuring out how to translate that into the daily grind. I don’t have any answers. I’m trying to cling onto Christ each day and rely on Him for everything. I am trying to learn what it looks like to have joy at all times, to let the joy of the Lord be my strength. I want to know what it means and looks like to persevere, to have character, and hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment