RTW November 25
Developing A Hope That Will Not Disappoint
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.
Romans 5:5
My Takeaways
Something Old
Trials have many benefits.
Something New
Because of the this, we can rejoice when run into problems and trials, for we know (A-DOE) I know, remember, appreciate.”I see what You mean”; “I see what you are saying.”
- Trials develop endurance – perseverance, endurance, patience
- Endurance develops strength of character – proof of genuineness (“approval, through testing”), proof of character
- Character strengthens our confident of hope of salvation – expectation of what is sure (certain);hope.
And this hope [expectation of what is sure (certain); 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.
Developing a hope that does not disappointment starts with problems.
Something to Do
God, help me to look at my problems differently.
There were so many sections of this reading that stood out to me this morning. These chapters of Romans are so rich and I enjoyed reading them in the NLT version because they made me see them in a new way and understand them better. Romans 8:6 is what I’ll post here…when my sinful nature controls my mind I am lead to sin but when the spirit controls my mind I am lead to life and peace. I want to be controlled by the spirit!
Today’s lessons:
See the positive in my trials!
Trials develop endurance.
Endurance develops character.
Character strengthens our hope of salvation.
This hope will not lead to disappointment.
I know God dearly loves me because He sent Christ to die for me and the Holy Spirit to fill me with His love. And allowing the Spirit to control my mind leads to life and peace.
Have appreciation for my trials. They lead to HOPE.
My Takeaways: The Power Of The Gospel
Something Old: What incredibly awesome passages of Scripture I read today. These are some of the most encouraging words in all of the Bible, the simplest explanation of the Gospel’s power in my life. Knowing what the gospel has done for me in my life fills me with joy. I have never received a better gift then the wonderful gift of salvation. These truths are so engrained in my mind and treasured in my heart that I just want to share them with everyone. Its Christmas time, what better time then now to share the gift.
Something New: Wow! I don’t know what it is about Romans, but it is speaking to me like never before. Romans 5:6-8 today spoke to me right away: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” This is so powerful to think about. Jesus died for me – a sinner. I can’t even begin to imagine how selfless this was. I wonder if I could ever die for someone. Maybe a family member or someone who is especially good (notice I said maybe). Jesus came for us all. He died for everyone. The thieves, liars, cheaters, addicts. He came to save the world! It’s the Christmas season. It was during this time that God sent a Savior to rescue me in my weak and helpless state. At just the right time God brought Jesus into the world fr one purpose. Not because he had to, but because he loved me. Ponder that for awhile and see if it just doesn’t bring tears to your eyes.
Something To Do: Know and truely understand the full expanse of God’s love for me and the full cost Jesus paid for my sins on the Cross. Know and understand that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. Know and understand that I have been saved from my sins through saving faith in Jesus.