When I was a kid, I swore I’d never say this to my kids: “Because I said so.” I love information. I love explanations. I love knowing all the reasons why.

And yet, sometimes I simply don’t have time to explain. My kids just have to take my word for it. Despite my childhood convictions, they’ve heard me say “because I said so” countless times!

When it comes to faith, sometimes we simply have to take God at His Word. We obey or believe because He said so.

But there are other truths that God doesn’t ask us to blindly believe. In His kindness, He gives us evidence. The hope we’ve been discussing for the past few weeks falls into this latter category.

Romans 5:5: And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

God proves to us that our hope will endure through suffering and will not put us to shame. The proof is the outpouring of God’s love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 reminds us that we’ve been given a gift Who keeps on giving. The Holy Spirit is given at our conversion. Then throughout the Christian life, He keeps on pouring God’s love into our hearts.

God gives the Holy Spirit as Exhibit A in His testimony that our hope is not in vain. The Spirit pours love into our hearts over and over and over again, reminding us that the One who redeemed us will never leave our side.

No matter what we face this week, God keeps pouring out His love into our hearts, proving to our weary souls that our hope is certain and true.

 

This devotional originally appeared on my blog on July 25, 2016. I’m taking a break from writing this month to spend more time with my family and hope you enjoy these replays!

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Romans 5:5a – And hope does not put us to shame . . .

Last week’s verses showed us how our suffering produces hope. Romans 5:5 goes on to say that this hope does not put us to shame. This is an important aspect of hope, because the certainty of it allows us to endure suffering with joy and peace.

When we talk about hope, we often refer to something that may or may not happen. We hope it doesn’t rain on our family picnic. We hope our husband remembers our anniversary. We hope to lose five pounds.

But when the Bible talks about hope, it refers to a sure thing. A rock-solid guarantee. An anchor for our souls.

I love how Dr. R.C. Sproul described this truth: “Hope is not taking a deep breath and hoping things are going to turn out all right. It is assurance that God is going to do what He says He will do.”

We don’t cross our fingers and hope God’s love doesn’t turn out to be a sham. We know. We have hope because the God who always keeps His promises said that one day, He will make all things new. This hope will never put us to shame.

Wishes and dreams can’t anchor a hurting soul. Only the true and certain hope of the Lord is our sure foundation in the storm.

Whatever you face this week, your hope in the Lord will not put you to shame.

 

This devotional originally appeared on my blog on July 18, 2016. I’m taking a break from writing this month to spend more time with my family and hope you enjoy these replays!

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Last week, we looked at the foundation of our joy: the grace of God and His free gift of eternal life in Christ. Heaven seems like a great reason to rejoice, right? But in the next verse of Romans 5, Paul throws a curveball:

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings . . .” (Romans 5:3a)

Wait, what? I’m on board with rejoicing in the thought of eternal glory, but rejoicing in suffering? You better explain yourself, Paul!

“ . . . Knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:3b-4)

I’d love to develop endurance, character, and hope. But if I’m honest, I’d rather enjoy a comfortable, easy, suffering-free life. I lose interest my character development quickly if it requires suffering to get there.

However, God is more concerned with my character than my comfort. He is working to conform me to the likeness of His Son, not to conform my lifestyle to match my neighbor’s. Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic and cancer survivor, says it this way: “Sometimes God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.”

God hates suffering, illness, tragedy, and death. But in His mysterious sovereignty, He uses suffering to accomplish what He loves: teaching His beloved children endurance, growing our character, and giving us hope. As our earthly foundations crumble through suffering, we see that the only true source of hope is the Lord. Suffering is not good. But finding our hope in the Lord is very good indeed.

No matter what you face this week, your suffering will produce something wonderful—hope in the Lord.

 

This devotional originally appeared on my blog on July 11, 2016. I’m taking a break from writing this month to spend more time with my family and hope you enjoy these replays!

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What makes you happy?

A good night’s sleep? A delicious dinner you didn’t have to cook? A new pair of shoes? (Those are all near the top of my list!)

These small blessings bring happiness, but often those feelings are fleeting. We enjoy dinner out with friends and then our mood sours because an inconsiderate driver cuts us off on our way home. We’re ecstatic about our new shoes until we see someone else with a pair we’d rather have. And when we struggle with ongoing, difficult circumstances, happiness can be hard to find—no matter how many pairs of shoes we buy.

Last week, we saw in Romans 5:1 that we have peace with God through faith in Christ. In the next verse, we read that we always have a reason to rejoice:

“Through [Christ] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)

Because of Christ, we have a secure standing before God and a firm hope in eternal life. We stand in the grace of Christ’s righteousness given to us. He gives us the promise that we will share in God’s glory one day in Heaven. This is an unchanging reason to rejoice!

This week as you face difficulties, cling to the promise that you stand secure in God’s grace and the hope of eternity with Him. And as Paul says in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

No matter what you face this week, God’s promises give you a reason to rejoice.

 

This devotional originally appeared on my blog on July 4, 2016. I’m taking a break from writing this month to spend more time with my family and hope you enjoy these replays!

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