Love, Peace, Joy, and Hope

"By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God. 

Christ has also introduced us to God’s undeserved kindness on which we take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. 

But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. 

And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love."  Romans 5:1-5 (CEV)

Many times when we read Scriptures, we do not completely understand a few things, especially if we are distracted or if our minds wander.

Sometimes we need to reread them, or we need someone to unpack certain things for us. And all the time, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into what we need to understand.

The passage above is one of these passages where we need to ask for God's guidance to really get to the meat of the Word.

This passage gives us insight on how it is to be saved and how to live a believer's life.

At the time of salvation, once we truly understand God's grace and what it is He is offering to us, and once we humble ourselves and accept it, we receive a gift that will change us from the inside out.

First, we will have peace in the inside and joy that are not dependent on what's going on around us.

Because as we undergo trials, we will have the inner strength to go through it. And even though it is hard, we know it is building in us a strong character. One that brings about hope, hope that is beyond understanding.

Now, the love that we first received from Jesus at the time of our salvation is nurturing these three gifts that we have inside us.

And as we grow in a loving and intimate relationship with Him, these three fruits empower us to go through the trials we go through each day.

So today, as we study His Word and as we call upon His Name, let us praise and thank Him that He has already given us more than we need (love, peace, joy, and hope) and let us nurture these gifts with a steady, growing and intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior.