A Cup of Hope

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 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 us." -Romans 5:2b-5

Good morning girls! I only have a minute or two before the kids are up and things get crazy around here. I wanted to share this passage today because it has been on my heart a lot lately. I've been listening to a sermon that my DH preached back in June. (The one I sent to Rachel.) I have a lot of friends that are currently walking through some tough trials and I have been praying this scripture over their lives.

Here are some things that stand out to me:

1. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God... this is an amazing thing! The glory of God is so incredible, SO powerful, that it is our source of hope.
2. We rejoice in our sufferings... wait a minute! We're supposed to rejoice in our sufferings? Remember what I just said. The glory of God gives us hope, and if we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, then we can rejoice in our sufferings.
3. Suffering produces perseverance... God knows that when we suffer trials, it is hard. He wants us to walk through them, (and He never leaves our side) so that we can develop perseverance. Paul realized this when he asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh. Three times he asked, and God said "My Grace is sufficient for you." -2Corinthians 12:7
4. Perseverance produces character... when we walk through trials, it builds character into our lives. The kind of character that we want to model for our children. My kids' elementary school has a motto "character counts." They give out awards to the kids who model good character to their peers. I want to teach the kind of character to my children that will stand the test when they have to make tough decisions, or walk through difficult times of their own.
5. And character produces hope... did you see that? AND character produces hope. We've come full circle here. It's a process. You can't jump from suffering to hope. There's those two small things in between. Suffering produces perseverance, in turn produces character, in turn produces hope. BUT through it all, remember #1. We rejoice in the HOPE of the glory of God. Hope is there all along. It is the starting point, and the ending point! We just have to look to the Source.
6. And HOPE does not disappoint. Why? "Because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom God has given us."

Whew! There's a lot to take in there. I'm still processing it myself.

For my friends, whom I love, that are in the suffering stage right now, know that I am praying for you. God is faithful, and He will see you through. For those of you out there that have persevered, built character, and are walking with hope right now, take a minute to think about who you can be praying for that is in need of hope.

May the God of peace bless you all this weekend!
~Melissa~