Romans 5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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.
We have been in this passage three times recently - first when talking about peace, then about hope, and now about joy. They are different flowers in the bouquet of blessings we have through Christ. There are more as well - grace and love, but today we are thinking about joy - what it is that lights up our lives, that keeps us going, even in the face of suffering and struggles. Christ brings us joy, because in Him we have together all the things that lead to real joy - God's presence, His power, and His persistent love to do what is best for us, even if it may hurt for awhile. In Christ we see God really cares. Feeling down or defeated today? Turn to Christ. See His love. Realize if anyone knows what suffering is all about, He does. Ask Him to see you through.
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