We don’t like hard times. However, those trials build our character to be more like God’s. This devotion looks at how disciples of Christ endurance builds character to build hope.
Nuggets
- Trials are hard to endure, but we have to persevere through them.
- By getting the sin out of our lives, God is growing our character to be more like Him.
- Patience comes only when we give God control of everything.
- We build our character when we follow God’s mind and Will.
Devotions in the What Is Hope? series
The first couple of verses in Romans were very encouraging. Then we get to verse 3, where it starts talking about trials.
Paul says we can still have hope – even in the trials. Let’s take a look.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Hope is where we desire for something that we believe is obtainable.
Our foundation is built on the blessings of faith, hope, peace, joy, comfort, and glory. It is only through Jesus’ love that we have hope.
If Jesus is not Lord of our lives, we do not have hope. If Jesus didn’t justify us, we wouldn’t have hope.
We show God’s merit when we give Him reverence. When we respond in humility, we show that we agree that He is higher than us. Our trust, love, and hope show how much we believe in His love and provision.
Because we have the hope, we believe in the ultimate triumph of Truth. That will be Jesus’ second coming.
Let's Put It into Context #2
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5: 1-2 NIV).
- In order to have hope, we need to be justified; in order to be justified, we have to have faith.
- We get faith through grace.
- God readily gives us peace and helps us grow into holiness.
- Because of the magnificence of His glory, we have the assurance that God can provide the atonement for our sins.
How Do We Trust God in Hard Times?
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5: 3-4 NIV)
Paul just got done writing that we glory in justification, faith, grace, and peace. Now he is telling us we also glory in suffering. Let’s looks at how we build faith through building endurance, character, and hope during trials.
Wait! What? Suffering hurts. How are we going to be glad?
We will be glad because of what we learn through the trials.
- Endurance
- Character
- Hope
How Do Disciples of Christ Gain Endurance?
Making it through the difficult trials is a challenge. Through the difficulties, disciples of Christ need to build endurance. We are to grow in patience in hard times, so that we can grow in endurance.
Trials are hard to endure, but we have to persevere through them. Perseverance is a steady, earnest effort to withstand hardship or adversity that builds self-control. We’ve talked about endurance or perseverance before.
- We have to be alert to dodge those things that Satan throws.
- Perseverance is all about going from milk babies to steak adults.
- Our goal is to please God.
- When we gather the knowledge and study His Word, God wants that information to change us.
To read a related devotion, click on the appropriate button below.
It is through these hard times that we grow. God may be showing us where we have sin in our lives.
By getting the sin out of our lives, God is growing our character to be more like Him. That is the whole purpose of the Sanctification Road.
Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration, gradually changes our nature through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness. Regeneration is the change in us that God brings about when we go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
Glossary
Experiencing the trials not only builds endurance, but it also builds patience. Patience is a steadfast endurance in opposition without losing a positive attitude. That is one of the virtues we talked about.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
I love what Spurgeon said. He wrote, “Patience is a pearl which is only found in the deep seas of affliction; and only grace can find it, bring it to the surface, and adorn the neck of faith therewith.”
Resource
Of course, at first, we are going to be impatient. We are going to want the trial over and done with — now. We won’t be feeling hopeful.
Then our patience has to kick in.
Stewart made a good point. Patience isn’t an action. He wrote, “That patience, which is a Christian grace, is not mere mental composure in the midst of outward troubles, and fixedness of purpose when excited passion threatens to bear the spirit away from its firmest resolves, but it is all this from right religious views and principles.”
Resource
Patience comes only when we give God control of everything. If we don’t totally submit to Him, we aren’t going to have patience or build our character to be like His.
But while we are enduring, we see how God loves us. We see His hand guiding us and providing for us. That builds our faith. That is from where the views and principles come.
How Does Endurance Build Character?
We build our character when we follow God’s mind and Will. That is the whole goal of being sanctified.
God, like any good teacher, will test us to see what we have learned. Yeah, sometimes that hurts as much as the trials. From our perspective, we can’t see much difference.
Why does God test us? Isn’t it enough that we are doing it?
No. We can go through the motions but not be genuinely following God’s mind and will. He wants total submission, not a show.
How Does Building Endurance and Character Build Hope?
How does building endurance and character lead to hope? Stewart wrote, “The fact of his being a believer implies that he has faith in the unseen realities of the future world. … The Divine Spirit, by infusing love towards God into the believer’s heart, gives him assured grounds to regard himself a child of God; and being assured of this, and knowing that on this point there is no delusion or self-deception, then he knows for certain that his hopes can never be disappointed — that be they ever so bright they shall be far more than realised (sic).”
Let’s look at it this way. “For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child” (Heb. 12: 6 NLT). By correcting us when we have sinned, God allows us opportunities to submit and depend on Him.
How many of us learn by doing? That is what is happening when we go through the trials. We are experiencing God’s promises of never leaving us. We are getting tangible evidence of His providing for us.
That makes it a grounded hope. We knew God provided in past trials. We can transfer that assurance to a present trial.
Related Links
Antrim Mennonite Choir
Okay. I have to process this one. Chalmers said that this hope is different than the hope in verse 2. Okay, really, it is verses 1 and 2.
Resource
• “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5: 1-2 NIV).
• “perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5: 4 NIV).
Verses 1 and 2 are all about hope because we believe in God. I can see it being a product of faith.
But it is more than that. It comes directly from God. It is the testimony that God can and will deliver on His promises.
The hope in verse 4 is the product of the experience. It is us implementing the hope of believing to really make it our own. The experiences build that hope.
I don’t think I see them as different. I think one is more mature than the other.
Well, isn’t that what we are supposed to do? We take the faith we have at conversion and grow it. Shouldn’t we do the same with hope?
Making the Connections
Think about what the disciples went through upon Jesus’ death. Spurgeon described it as, “Sore was the tribulation which came upon the disciples as they thought upon Christ’s death and burial. But after a little patience and experience, their hope revived; for their Lord arose. After that hope had been begotten in them, the Holy Spirit’s Divine influence was shed abroad upon them. They were not ashamed of their hope, but fearlessly proclaimed Jesus, their hope of glory.”
Resource
I have to process again. Magee wrote, “Is there, then, no real righteousness in the believer? does God pronounce him who is unholy, holy; and admit the unclean, in his uncleanness, into His presence? Assuredly not. God never pronounced any man holy whom He did not also make holy. There is a righteousness external and a righteousness internal: both are real — both shall one day be perfect; but that which is wrought for us is perfect from the first; that which is wrought in us is imperfect, and gradually arrives at perfection: the one at once and forever justifies; the other progressively sanctifies.”
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Does God say we are holy when we aren’t? Part of me wants to say yes because we are never going to be fully holy until we get to Heaven.
But that isn’t right. Upon conversion, God makes us holy when we are regenerated.
Oh, yeah. We have a long way to go until we are like God. But we are different than we were before conversion.
I would say the internal and external righteousness is our character and how we exhibit that character to others. Character is an internal thing. We are deciding the moral code we will follow.
It is external because, as we follow that code, it impacts how we interact with others. God wants us to interact as He would.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
We need to be very self-disciplined during trials. We need to keep control to ensure that we do not sin.
How Do We Apply This?
Spurgeon indicated that it will be a cycle:
- Trials
- Perseverance
- Hope
- Satisfaction
Resource
Stewart showed us how we bring our character in line with God’s.
- Rely on God’s strength to do what He has called us to do
- Submit fully to Him
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So, we need to approach trials as a test. Is there sin we still need to root out? Will we hold on in the midst of the worst trials? Is our focus wrong?
Everything that happens to us is to refine us to truly be God’s child. He has given us hope to help sustain us through the roughest spots.
Gracious Heavenly Father. You provide so much for us. You have promised us hope. Regardless of the outcome of the trials, we know Your Word is secure. You are in control, and You have us. Help us to keep our focus on You. Amen.
What do you think?
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