Faith Brings Joy

Romans  5:1-6

1….Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

2….Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3…..We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

4….And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

5….And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

6…When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time, and died for us sinners.

 

Isn’t that just like God? He sends help to us, just at the right time.

A lot of times we think we just can’t go on. We think we can’t survive another minute. And then God steps in. He is always there with us, but he doesn’t always reveal his self to us.

Many times I think that I can’t make it another second. That’s where my faith has to kick in. I have to remember that he is God, that he is taking care of me and my situation. Even when I don’t see it.

When troubles and heartaches come along, we hard to remember this.

I am a single lady, living alone on one income. It’s a struggle to get by and I worry if I will make enough to keep my bills paid. But in the 3 years I have been alone, God has never let me be without. Every time money gets extremely tight, something comes along to help out. It may be an unexpected check in the mail (like I had happen this weekend). Or overtime. Or a utility bill that is lower than usual.

And then I wonder, why did I worry and fret over it?

Our God is so awesome!!!!!!! He can take our problems and turn them into  solutions. God sees the big picture. He knows what our future is. We don’t and we don’t like to not know things.

Looking back on my life, I can see where God has been at work. He has never let me down.he does all this because he loves us. We don’t deserve it.  But because of his love, and Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, we can know that something better is on the horizon. We know that when troubles come, we are building up our character and we are strengthened in him. Then we can tell others about what he has done for us.

We can have joy, even in times of trouble. No one likes to hurt. Whether it’s physical or emotional, it doesn’t feel good. But if we keep our faith in him and know he will take care of us, then we can have joy.

Let me leave you with this word I saw from Joyce Meyer. She sums it up perfectly.

You may not get everything you want or when you want it, but God will give you grace to have joy and be positive in any situation.   Joyce Meyer

 

God Bless,

Kathy