Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
--Romans 5:5 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 4, 2013 of Psalm 69:1-18; Romans 5:1-11; Deuteronomy 11:16-12.
Justification serves as the primary theme of the fifth chapter of Paul's letter to the church in Rome, justification by faith in God and by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul proclaims that we "rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (please see verse two) and that we also "glory in tribulations" (please see verse three). We should not only be thankful for and rejoice in the glory of God, but also in those times when life is dealing us a harsh blow. If anyone ever suffered tribulations, it would be Paul, although some of his greatest trials had yet to come while he penned this letter. In his inspired wisdom Paul explains that by enduring the trials and tribulations that befall us, we benefit in the end by gaining strength and experience. In Paul's words, "tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Please see verses three and four.) And then he proclaims that that last quality, hope, does not disappoint us. Notice Paul uses the two words "does not" as applied to our possibly being disappointed. He did not say "did not", putting our hope in the past, already happened, behind us. Nor did he say "will not", setting our hope somewhere off in the indeterminate future, ahead of us, yet to come. No, Paul says our hope does not disappoint, putting our hope right here and now, today, this very second when we need it most. Our hope is alive and available to us each and every "now" for every moment of our life, every beat of our heart, every breath we take.
So what is the ultimate grounding of this hope that does not fail us, that can be forged in the fires of tribulations? Paul gives us perhaps the most beautiful description of the very foundation for all our hope: because the love of God has been poured out and into our hearts. Not the love for God, although we who follow Christ Jesus should love our God with all our heart. No, Paul says the love of God, God's immeasurable love for us has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that takes up residence within us when we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Son of God who died for our sins and was resurrected in the body and ascended into heaven to sit at our Father's right hand. The Holy Spirit doesn't just give us some measure of God's love, maybe just what we need when we need it or a little at a time, like doses of medicine. No, He pours God's love into us! And the amount of God's love poured out fills us to overflowing! In that way, God provides that we have more than enough of His love for our needs, for our hope, so that we can share the overflow with others, giving them hope and love also.
God is so good to us. Share His love and the hope that does not disappoint with everyone you meet. Amen.
Loving Father, You are our one true hope, the hope that never fails us, the hope that never disappoints. As we endure our trials and tribulations, as we face whatever today holds in store for us, may we never forget to give You praise and glory, because through You we can endure all things. Through Jesus we are strengthened. All praise Your holy name, and in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
So what is the ultimate grounding of this hope that does not fail us, that can be forged in the fires of tribulations? Paul gives us perhaps the most beautiful description of the very foundation for all our hope: because the love of God has been poured out and into our hearts. Not the love for God, although we who follow Christ Jesus should love our God with all our heart. No, Paul says the love of God, God's immeasurable love for us has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that takes up residence within us when we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Son of God who died for our sins and was resurrected in the body and ascended into heaven to sit at our Father's right hand. The Holy Spirit doesn't just give us some measure of God's love, maybe just what we need when we need it or a little at a time, like doses of medicine. No, He pours God's love into us! And the amount of God's love poured out fills us to overflowing! In that way, God provides that we have more than enough of His love for our needs, for our hope, so that we can share the overflow with others, giving them hope and love also.
God is so good to us. Share His love and the hope that does not disappoint with everyone you meet. Amen.
Loving Father, You are our one true hope, the hope that never fails us, the hope that never disappoints. As we endure our trials and tribulations, as we face whatever today holds in store for us, may we never forget to give You praise and glory, because through You we can endure all things. Through Jesus we are strengthened. All praise Your holy name, and in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment