Thursday, July 3, 2014 Rejoice in the Hope

 

Good morning. May the meditations of hearts be lead by Jesus, now and throughout our day.

 

Romans 5:1-5

The New King James Version (NKJV)

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ 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.

 

The Message (MSG)

5 ^1-2 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

^3-5 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

 

Wow…the expectations of our heavenly Father, for you and me, afforded to us through faith in the Son and brought to reality in our lives by way of His love and mercy…His grace! I think that’s what Pastor would have us characterize as Big”T” Truth!...and through grace we have access to the Father…to be in relationship with Him…through the doors of our lives being opened by way of Christ..opened to the fullness of life, basking in the glory of God the Father through His doorway…which was always open. Thank you Jesus!

 

The part about standing really caught my attention this morning. Especially in relation to where we are in Pastor’s message series in Eph. 6 “Stand firm then..” and what all that entails.

 

You see, how Paul describes “standing firm” is not how the world or satan would have us see it…much less experience it. In this world of instant gratification that we live in, we want to get right to the “hope” part, and then define that hope based on how we feel at the moment. But our heavenly Father’s expectations for his children is much, much bigger than that. The hope that you and I have is brought to and amplified in our lives through patience, perseverance, and good character that is forged in the true virtues of Christ...by way of his sufferings and grace, we get to live a life of expectancy each and every day. So, together, let’s suit up and ask…What do you have for me this day, Lord?...and let’s do it with the assurance that in our sufferings we can “…rejoice in hope of the glory of God”.

 

Sure would like to hear from you.

 

Blessings to you and yours,

jim