The Upper Room Daily Devotion – Thursday, 23 January 2014 - “God
Is With Us” Read Romans 5: Results of Justification
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we[a] have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained
access[b] to this grace in which we stand; and we[c] boast in our hope of
sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we[d] also boast in our
sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces
character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that
has been given to us.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 5:1 Other ancient authorities read let us
b. Romans 5:2 Other ancient authorities add by faith
c. Romans 5:2 Or let us
d. Romans 5:3 Or let us
Paul wrote, “[The Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you,
because power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9 (CEB))
Believing in God’s goodness is easy when all is going well.
However, when things are not going well, we may be more likely to doubt God. I
have come to understand that being a Christian does not mean that life will be
without its ups and downs. We have only to look at the lives of the apostles to
see that their lives were far from trouble-free. Being a follower of Christ
does not mean we will be safe from accidents, indifference, injustices, or death.
The radical difference is that we will not be alone when hardships befall us.
God will see us through the challenges we face. In even the most trying
circumstances, we can give thanks to God because often in the midst of these
situations we discover how close God really is. God is with us, not to remove
us from these situations but rather to help us face them. (The Author-Gabriela
Morales (Mexico))
Thought for the Day: God walks with us through all our trials.
Prayer: Dear faithful and loving God, help us confide in you
during our most difficult moments. Amen.
Prayer focus: Christians persecuted for their faith
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