Our Scripture meditation is based on Romans 5:1-5, the start of next week’s Epistle Reading, the Third Sunday in Lent. For a meditation on the Gospel Lesson, click HERE.
[1] Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
There was a trend last college football season. After games football players would stand on a podium. Before answering questions from journalists, the players make a brief testimony giving all glory and honor to God or to Jesus. Here’s what was different from previous seasons: These athletes played for the losing teams.
This trend brought to mind our Scripture passage. The Apostle Paul says that “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” This is much like athletes thanking their Lord and Savior when they win an Olympic competition. It’s relatively easy to give thanks while holding a gold medal.
Then Paul says we also “rejoice in our suffering.” That is not so common among athletes. It’s not common among most Americans. Even as Christians we can struggle to give thanks in our suffering. If you are finding almost impossible to give thanks in your current suffering, I empathize. More importantly, God empathizes. Remember that in Isaiah 53 Jesus were told Jesus would be “despised and rejected”, a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
This is why it was so important that Paul tells us why we can rejoice in our suffering: “…suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
What else can be said? We rejoice in suffering as we experience God’s love, which is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
Until next week, the Lord bless and guide.
Kevin Wilson 360 