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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because
God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
“. . . we also rejoice in our sufferings. . .” What is Paul saying here? We don’t like to have things go wrong. When we have illness-personal or family- we go through times where our schedules change. Our strength lessens and we tire more easily. During times of financial crisis, people with Christ in their hearts, can find solace through prayer and Bible reading.
As we reflect on times of previous illness, or tough, stressful times, we see that we have grown because of the experience. We learn that we are stronger than we thought.
“. . . suffering produces perseverance. . .” What we learn as we look in retrospect is we learn to work through the tough times and come through those experiences better people.
“. . . perseverance, character. . . “We receive the ability to last through tough times. This aids our character to become stronger and able to deal with issues of life.
“. . .character, hope. . .” When we see a person with a strong character face trying times, we have hope that he or she will come out of the circumstance that binds them. A person’s true character will reveal itself during the course of the trial.
“. . . hope does not disappoint us. . .”Hope gives us encouragement. We can face harsh events and issues with confidence. Our outlook becomes calmer as we learn to deal with those involved with the circumstances. Hope gives us something to hang onto during the distressful times. Hope gives us something to look forward to during our times of stress.
” . . .because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. . .” We only come through the times of crisis because we have God in our lives. At certain times, we go through harsh times because of one of several reasons- 1.) We live in a fallen world. 2.) God allows the event for whatever reason. 3.) God plans for us to learn from our experiences.
“ . . whom he has given to us. . .” He fills us with His Spirit and guides us through our daily lives. Jesus told His disciples, that after He left them, He would send someone to help them- the Holy Spirit. He gave us The Helper because He loves us and wants to guide us through this world until He comes again.
Dear Father God; Thank You for caring for us as we go through stressful trials. Thank You for loving us as You do. Thank You for sending The Holy Spirit to guide us. We give You the praise. In the name of Jesus, we pray. AMEN
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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