A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day October 28, 2020
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. (Romans 15:13, NIV)
Trusting God is so much simpler than not trusting Him. When you doubt God, His Word, and His promises, you’re left to your own devices and reasoning when it comes to working things out. And as a result, you get all stressed out.
Take a moment and read the following three verses, then think carefully about what they mean:
“But the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:2-3, NIV).
“He who has once entered [God’s] rest…has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors” (Hebrews 4:10, AMP).
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are…overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]” (Matthew 11:28, AMP).
How are we supposed to approach God? In faith! The Bible says: “Without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that… He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]” (Hebrews 11:6, AMP). That means when you come to God, but you must do the believing. And when you do, you’ll receive His joy and peace. These two things are God’s will for you; they were bought and paid for at the cross.
Christ’s work is already finished, and the only thing that remains to be accomplished is for you to believe. When you do that, God will respond and bless you every time! Let me ask you a question. Who in this world do you know that you can trust and rely on to always provide you with joy and peace? Think about that. There is no one except God! No human is perfect and we will all disappoint each other at times, regardless of how close we are or how much we love each other. We all miss the mark! God never misses the mark and He will never disappoint us if we just believe.
“Victory is not in the fight, but in the surrender”
Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5, AMPC)
