Chrissy's Day 7: Peace and Joy

Summary of Romans 5:1-11

Because we have been made right through faith, we have peace with God. We gained access to God through Jesus Christ.

We can celebrate the glory of God and we can also celebrate when we are suffering, because we know that suffering teaches and changes us. It teaches us to keep going on and teaches us to hope. And we won't be dissapointed because the Holy Spirit is pouring out love into our hearts.

Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. That's an unusual thing to do. Someone might die for a good person but a bad one? This shows how much God loves us.

Imagine how much more love and forgiveness God has for us! If he died while we were still bad, imagine how much more he will do for us now that we are on his side!

Reflection

I'm loving this idea of being at peace with God. Fully reconciled and restored. And I'm also loving the ideas in verses 9 to 11.  I like the way The Message puts it, "If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God... now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen..." That sounds like a reason to celebrate!

The whole celebrating while we're down business, now thats a little tougher for me to get my head around. I guess the idea is that we shouldn't celebrate the bad stuff thats happening, rather we should praise God for hwat he has done and for his generous love. We should 'look on the bright side' and realise that 'what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger'. These sayings are a little glib but they do have some truth in them also.
But I think this is a lesson we have to learn through experience rather than just by reading it in on a page. I think that maybe the more tough stuff you face in your life the more you know that you'll grow because of it.

I now know, looking back that the toughest time in my life (when I lost my two precious babies through miscarriage), that I did grow and learn some stuff. I have those experiences now to draw on in the future both for myself and to help others cope with similar grief. And I do praise God for pouring out his love on me at that time. I have to admit that I didn't feel it then, but I know in retrospect that the Holy Spirit was there, helping me, comforting me and holding me together.

So perhaps thats what this passage is saying. That we praise God during our suffering because we know that the Holy Spirit will be with us, and we know that we will grow and learn through the experience and we know that God will have something great in store for us when it's all over.

Prayer

Lord,

Thank you for loving me when I was useless.
Thank you for making me useful!

It's exciting to think that you might have great things in store for me.
Prepare me Lord, may I be open to your leading.

Help me Lord to remember the lessons I've learnt in the past.
Help me to remember them when things are tough.
Help me to keep worshipping you no matter what.

I want to be your servant, your vessel.

Amen