Renewing Our Strength #30

Often, as we work our way through the Bible over the years, we begin to pick and choose verses that we find meaningful. We memorize them and go on to another chapter or book.  What we end up doing is missing out on more that God has for us in that same chapter. Like in Romans 5, which begins:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

That one verse is a powerful truth, but let's keep on reading

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

Not only do we have peace, we have grace, joy and hope.  But let's not stop there...

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. God, through His Holy Spirit gives us endurance, the strength to go on, and as we endure by His strength, He fills us with His love, doing what only He can do: develop our character, transforming us into Christ-likeness, so we can live lives pleasing to Him.  What a wonderful bundle of gifts we have in Christ.