Countdown to Hope ~ Day
7
“Be joyful in hope, patient
in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 (NIV)
Well, I must say that this scripture from Romans is a tall order!
I mean, God expects us to have joy in hope (Translation:
Be happy while you’re waiting, no matter how long it takes!), patient in affliction
(Even though it hurts like heck, don’t
try to rush through the suffering. In a sense, savor it), and be faithful in
prayer (In other words, remember to communicate
regularly with God despite the pain and seemingly endless waiting game). Yup,
that about covers it! And so now you’re saying, how is that possible? How can I
have joy while I’m waiting around for things to get better or for the promises
of God to come to pass? Or, how can be patient when it hurts so bad that I can’t
even focus on anything else? And, of course I’m supposed to pray regularly, but
it’s almost impossible to remember that when I’ve got all of these things going
on! How can I do this? (Enter God.)
Too often, we forget that life is not easy because we live in
a fallen world. Jesus came that we might have live and have it more abundantly,
but we are still experiencing the effects of Adam’s sin. God gave us freewill,
and that dates all of the way back to Adam. When Adam exercised his freewill, he
put a cycle of sin into place that we are still fighting to overcome today. Jesus
came to set things in order and give us access to the Kingdom of God and all of
the power and benefits that go along with Kingdom membership. But, in order to
tap into that power, we must choose to follow the example that Jesus set before
us using the Word of God to teach us how to represent the Kingdom in excellence.
So, in order to live Romans 12:12, we must first, submit our
will to God’s will for our lives. It is His will that we have joy, patience and
be faithful in all that we do. Second, as we submit our will to God, ask the Holy
Spirit to be like Christ and help us to tap into the joy and peace that only
God can give to us. Finally, consciously choose to be joyful. When you are presented
with a situation that could very well sap your joy well, choose to see the joy
in your life. Remember that patience is simply the presence of peace within your
life. And in order to be faithful, you must purpose in your hurt to do something,
and then do that thing in excellence!
So, in order to live Romans 12:12, like a popular slogan, “Just
do it!”
No comments:
Post a Comment