Morning Thoughts

A walk through life toward eternity

Struggles in Life Can Be Tough, But Do Not Give Up Too Soon

“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions,
and was raised because of our justification.
Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have obtained
our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand;
and we
exult in hope of the glory of God.”

(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 4: 25 & 5: 1-2 NASB)

Perseverance can be downright difficult.

  • Death of a Loved One.
  • Divorce.
  • Job Loss.
  • Struggles with our Children.
  • Broken Relationships.
  • Health Issues that Overwhelm Us.
  • Care of an Aging Parent.

However, even while walking through a difficult time, one that seems to pull us in so many directions, we have the assurance of Jesus, if we believe in Him & accept His gift of salvation.  The apostle Paul reminds the believers living in Rome of this HOPE they have received.

“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” (The Letter of Paul to the Romans 4: 25 NASB)

When living in Rome during that long-ago time, the Christians were suffering persecution because of their faith.  They were under the tyrannical rule of an angry leader, one who did not believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Nevertheless, Paul reminds this body of believers to recall what they have received through God’s salvation.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” (The Letter of Paul to the Romans 5: 1-2 NASB)

Struggles in life can be tough to walk through; however, we should not give in or give up too soon, for we do not want to miss out on what God is going to do for us through this tough situation.

  • We must persevere.
  • We must walk on.
  • We must not give up HOPE.
  • We must pray, seeking God’s strength.
  • We must study God’s Word to be encouraged.
  • We must remember that we are not alone in our difficulty because GOD IS WITH US—ALWAYS!

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations,
[We are called to REJOICE in these]
knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
and perseverance,
proven character;
and proven character,
hope;
and hope does not disappoint,
because
the love of God has been poured out within our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 5: 3-5 NASB)

We who believe in Jesus, who are called Christians, are to remember the Goodness of God which we have received.  Oftentimes, it is so much easier to just give up, but this is not always best.  We are to persevere, even through our tribulations.

We who have been justified by the shed blood of Christ, who are called the Redeemed, are to recall the Mercies of God that are new every day.  So many times we are tempted to quit, to given in when life becomes hard or when our path becomes a heavy burden, but this is not the best course of action.  We are to display our proven character, pushing through, even during our time of tribulation.

  • When Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, He did not willingly give His life for just half of mankind.  What HOPE would we ever have if we had been born in the wrong half?  Unthinkable!
  • When Jesus died for our sins on the cross & when Jesus resurrected to new lifeHE DID THIS FOR EVERYONE—Man, Woman, Child.
  • When Noah was called to build the ark, he was led to build the ‘whole’ ark and to not give up when his neighbors ridiculed him for his work.  Building a boat when they lived in the desert was just crazy and preaching about a coming flood when they had never felt a drop of rain was unimaginable.  Nonetheless, Noah pressed on, persevered, proved his character found through God, and received the HOPE the LORD promised.  Noah’s entire family was saved.
  • When we consider Moses, who was called to lead the children of Israel out of 430 years of bondage, we can easily understand how Moses could have thrown up his hands.  When he faced Pharoah time-after-time, when God hardened Pharoah’s heart again-and-again, and when God displayed His Amazing Power through the plagues, still Moses held onto his faith in God.  If Moses had refused to accept God’s calling on his life, the children may still reside in Egypt, held captive in their generational slavery.

Over-and-over within the Bible, we read the true narratives of God’s provisions, strength, and HOPE.  From the very beginning, struggles in life were tough, but still God’s people did not give up but continued to TRUST GOD!

“and hope does not disappoint,
because
the love of God has been poured out within our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 5: 5 NASB)

Surely, life-struggles will come & they will cause us to stumble, but do not give up too soon because GOD WILL LEAD YOU THROUGH, EVEN WHEN THE DAYS ARE DARK!

  • Do not give up HOPE!
  • If you fall down, get back up & PRESS ON, WALKING DAILY WITH THE SAVIOR!

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