It's another scorcher here in the Texas panhandle - supposed to be 96F today following several days of right around 100F. But tomorrow it's only supposed to be 91 and then low 90s for most of next week. That sounds so nice right now! Isn't that the way life is? What doesn't seem all that terribly pleasant (92 degree weather) can sound absolutely delightful (after bearing up under >100 degree weather for a few days.) In life, what didn't seem as particularly wonderful days in our lives, when viewed from days where "the heat has been turned up", can then be viewed as truly wonderful...days of bliss! Guess the lesson here is - enjoy every day! You don't know which ones will turn out to be the days that you remember as the best. Even the "scorchers" bring blessings of their own - moments that we treasure in years to come. Just like 100 degree days bring remembrances of those joyful moments of running through sprinklers, jumping off diving boards, eating sno-cones and popsicles and laying in front of a box fan on a pallet in the living room floor at night! I'm showing my age with that last memory - but that was summertime in my youth! Tough times in life will bring moments of joyful remembrances as well - we just have to persevere to get to the time of remembrance!
Our question this week: How does suffering in a manner that honors and glorifies God change the life of the believer?
And our memory verse this week? "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, kmowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4
OBSERVATION
Romans 5:1-5 "Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
James 1:5-8 "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways."
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it."
We've got a lot of Scripture to wade through today. Ready? Let's pray first and ask God to reveal His message to each of us individually - we all need to hear what He has to say to us, personally. What I bring out may not be what the Holy Spirit is impressing upon you today. Be open to His voice, way over my, or any other person's, human words! Listen to what He is telling you today.
Looking at our first passage from Paul's letter to the Romans, and quoting from Kay Arthur, "In Romans 1-4, the apostle Paul established that all are sinners and need salvation. He also made clear that salvation is found only through faith in Jesus Christ. In light of these truths, Romans 5:1 opens with the term 'therefore', indicating the result for those who have been justified or declared righteous by their faith."
Everyone has probably heard this before, but whenever you see a "therefore" in Scripture, you need to see what it is "there for." Which requires, just as Kay has done, to look back to see what it is referencing in the prior verses.
We're directed in the study to read through this passage and circle all of the pronouns that refer to believers - we, our, us. Do that, either actually or mentally, and then consider these questions:
What does every believer have as a result of being declared righteous?
What is every believer to do and why?
What we have is peace --- finally, peace with God. I have long loved the verses in Luke 1 where Zechariah, finally understanding through the revelation of the Holy Spirit what God was doing through his son makes this bold proclamation:
Luke 1:67-79 "Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets in ancient times; salvation from our enemies and from the clutches of those who hate us. He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered His holy covenant- the oath that He swore to our father Abraham. He has given us the privilege, since we have been rescued from our enemies' clutches, to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness in His presence all our days. And child, you will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because of our God's merciful compassion, the Dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
I've loved these words because they show me that God wants so much for us to be at peace with Him - to serve Him without fear, as children who are accepted by Him as holy and righteous. His merciful compassion is what drove Him to provide Jesus for us, to bring light into our lives of darkness, and to guide our feet into lives of peace, peace with Him forever. Paul wants to remind us of this - that because of Jesus, we have peace with our Father. We no longer have to view God as being mad at us for our sins and living in fear of His judgment - because of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and removed. We are free to serve God without a moment of fear. We should be at peace.
And what are we to do with this knowledge? Through the faith that we have in our redemption by Jesus, we stand in His grace. We rejoice in the knowledge that we will see the glory of God. And "not only that", but we rejoice (exult in some translations) in our tribulations. (We really are supposed to do this, aren't we? Paul tells us, James tells us, and Peter tells us - I think this is important - I think this is something we must learn and ask God for help with!) Again, quoting from the study,
"Exult means 'to boast in regard to anything.' In Romans 5:3 the preposition in may seem like a small insignificant word, but it is key to understanding the full impact of this passage,. It is translated from the Greek word en, which means 'remaining in place or resting in.' Rather than moving into or out of the situation, it indicates a total lack of motion. In other words, one is at rest, not attempting to get out of the tribulation. The Greek word translated as brings about [produces] is katergazomai, which means 'to carry out a task until it is finished.' In the context of this passage in Romans, the phrase indicates completing a task, the result of which is to bring out something that is already present. Tribulation in the life of the believer brings out perseverance, because the grace to persevere comes from the inner strength God has given us."
Wow! This brings a whole other concept into play when we "rejoice" in our tribulations...we rest in them as well. We're not filled with anxiety or craziness in the middle of our troubles - we're at peace! We rest and we wait because we know God is watching, that God knows exactly what is going on, and that God will be the One to bring this trial to an end. We rest and we wait and we persevere - and through all of that, the task of proving our Christian character is accomplished. We come through knowing that God does not disappoint, and an affirmation of His great love for us - poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. This love is what allows us to rest - and this ability to rest confirms His love. Beautiful, isn't it? Resting in troubles, at peace with our Father.
Jumping back over to James, we get some very practical advise for what to do when we feel that we aren't resting - when we are getting anxious and we need more of God's insight into our situation. Well it's pretty simple, really - we ASK! James tells us that whenever we feel in the dark, ask God for His wisdom and He's going to be generous to respond - no questions asked! The only condition is that when we ask we have to really believe that He is going to answer us - that we will receive His guidance. That means not jumping ahead, not growing impatient - it means resting until we gain what we know is His wisdom, His insight, His direction.
And finally, hearing from Paul again writing to the Corinthians, we are reminded that no "temptation" (that same Greek word peirasmos, which can be translated as temptation, trial or testing) comes to us that is greater than what other people experience in this earthly life as well. We ALL have temptations - we all have trials that can provide opportunities for us to follow Jesus in obedience, or strike out on our own in sinful responses. Our faithful God will always provide a way of obedience out of the temptation - it is our choice whether to follow His way, the way in which He promises His strength to sustain us, or to rely on our own strength which is certain to be inadequate. Let's learn to first ask for God's way, for His wisdom, insight and direction - let's remember that He has provided us with such a great escape that we can make it through and honor Him.
What great lessons today - I hope you have had your own insights as well - I'd sure love to hear them! Either comment via blog or e-mail me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com!
In His Amazing Love,
Janice
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