Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. – Romans 12:11-12 In a few passages in his letters to the churches, Paul boils down the walk of faith to simple, profound principles. In his letter to the Romans, he gives three keys to spiritual life. Practice these, he instructs, and you’ll go far in your relationship with God. The first Pal tells us about is to “be joyful in hope.” In the Bible, hope isn’t wishing, as in “I hope my investment makes 40% this year.” No, hope is a strong expectation of God’s deliberate action. It’s not wishing; it’s confident believing. And with that confidence, our hearts sing as we anticipate God’s divine work to accomplish His will in our lives. The second key is patience in affliction. Difficulties are a part of life. We are fallen people living in a fallen world, and beyond that, God “prunes” fruitful believers so we will bear even more fruit—and pruning hurts! When we experience problems, our natural reaction is to try and get out of them as quickly as possible, but that’s not how God wants us to respond. Whether He takes us out of them or through them, God wants us to look to Him for wisdom and strength during the difficulty so that our faith grows stronger. Unfulfilled expectations, unforeseen difficulties, and waiting for God’s answers can make us want to give up, but the third key is to continue praying with resolve. In difficult times, our prayers deepen and take on a new urgency. And if the delay continues, we stop asking and start listening, which may be the lesson God wanted to teach us all along. Most people who fail their dream fail, not from lack of ability, but from lack of commitment. – Z. Ziglar
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 10:50:38 +0000
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