Saturday 4 Aug 2012

Saturday Reading: Romans 5:1-5

Key Verse: Romans 5:5
5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Devotion:
One of the hardest things I had to learn was having faith in God, not faith as in telling others that I believe in Jesus but faith as in actually depending on Him for things in my life that I would normally look elsewhere for. That faith is not blind faith but it is also not going to slap you round the face and say ‘here I am’! That faith comes from God and through His Word. It has to be built up, nurtured and tested for us to see that it is true faith. God is the one that knows us from the inside so He does already know whether our faith is true or not – but that does not let us off the hook so to speak.

Just because God knows if our faith is real does not mean that we know it deep in our own hearts. That may well take a bit of testing and a few hurdles for us to see that it is real; but it needs to start somewhere and that is in God’s Word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17)

That faith gives us access to a whole lot more than we first realise when we start our relationship with Christ. Through it we obtain grace and mercy from the Lord of Lords! By it we can rejoice that we have so much and can know the glory of God. I changed the words from hope of the glory of God to know the glory of God because that is how we should be looking at it, not as a hope that may or may not come to pass, but a sure knowledge that it will!

But with that does come a bit of uphill, those struggles, those pitfalls, that tribulation! And it may not just be a small bump in the road but a rough ride all the way – how much depends on how much God knows we will be able to withstand. Because what we can withstand will count in other people’s eyes when they look at us and wonder about faith. We do need patience to get through those rough times. When we succeed in getting through those rough times we gain experience which gives us strength and builds up that hope that we have into a more sure knowledge. With that we become more confident and more able to share God’s Word and His will with others. With that we build up this love that Christ wants us to know and live by – His love!

Points to Ponder:
What makes love grow in you?

Can you see how Christ grows that love within you?