Day 32 - 40 Days of JOY
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of JOY
Day 32 | BEING JOYFUL IN HOPE
40 Days of JOY
Day 32 | BEING JOYFUL IN HOPE
BEING JOYFUL IN HOPE
Romans 12:9-13
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Dealing with one another, even in the Christian family, can be a challenge, right? It’s not that we don’t care for or love one another, but sometimes, some church family members can test the limits!
The same thing was true in the ancient church in Rome. Paul had to tell the folks how to treat one another, as in this section of Scripture.
But one thing pertinent to this series on JOY pops out in verse 12, “Be joyful in hope.”
HOPE is one of those remarkable words to me. It is, well… HOPEFUL. It looks positively to the future.
In 1 Corinthians 13, aka the LOVE chapter, we are told: “Love is patient, love is kind … love does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking.” And our HOPE for one another is that we will all, step by step, day by day, become more like Jesus… more like this definition of love!
Thus, for that reason – and hundreds of others – we can all be “joyful in HOPE.” We should all be hoping and looking forward to the second coming of Jesus, as well as hoping for improvements in others AND ourselves! Reread this section of Scripture… it can help each of us to move more and more towards Christlikeness.
Prayer: LORD, I know I’m not perfect yet. I know I’m not wholly like Jesus yet. Help me apply this section of Scripture to my life and move more and more in the direction YOU want me to go. Amen.
Romans 12:9-13
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Dealing with one another, even in the Christian family, can be a challenge, right? It’s not that we don’t care for or love one another, but sometimes, some church family members can test the limits!
The same thing was true in the ancient church in Rome. Paul had to tell the folks how to treat one another, as in this section of Scripture.
But one thing pertinent to this series on JOY pops out in verse 12, “Be joyful in hope.”
HOPE is one of those remarkable words to me. It is, well… HOPEFUL. It looks positively to the future.
In 1 Corinthians 13, aka the LOVE chapter, we are told: “Love is patient, love is kind … love does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking.” And our HOPE for one another is that we will all, step by step, day by day, become more like Jesus… more like this definition of love!
Thus, for that reason – and hundreds of others – we can all be “joyful in HOPE.” We should all be hoping and looking forward to the second coming of Jesus, as well as hoping for improvements in others AND ourselves! Reread this section of Scripture… it can help each of us to move more and more towards Christlikeness.
Prayer: LORD, I know I’m not perfect yet. I know I’m not wholly like Jesus yet. Help me apply this section of Scripture to my life and move more and more in the direction YOU want me to go. Amen.