Character to Hope

I have had a great couple of weeks and will write a blog about all my fun happenings, but first I wanted to share a little nugget that the Lord challenged and encouraged me with yesterday. Lately, I have been aware of the battle I face with my daily sin tendencies-like impatience, selfishness, pride...to name a few! I find my heart continually suffering within me, about all sorts of things that aren't Jesus in me and what is supposed to overflow from my heart, and I fail daily.

As I was reading through Romans 5 (1-11) yesterday this is what the Lord reminded me of and put a fresh hope inside of me...

Through faith we gain access to God's grace and we rejoice in the hope of His glory, but even more we rejoice in our "sufferings", whatever that looks like- for me right now, it is battling my mind and emotions, my struggle against the wickedness inside of me, and desire to be like Christ. For some it may be physical suffering- sickness, pain, disease, poverty, death, emotional turmoil, but through our suffering comes endurance. I'm persevering toward the Lord, toward the truth of His word, and running to His presence in repentance, which slowly produces character, as the Lord's truth reveals wrong thinking, ideas, and heart motives. His grace covers me and He is working those things out, making me like Him. And as I see God's constant faithfulness to change and make new, the renewed character gives way to hope, a expectation that will not fail...why? Because my expectation is found in His love, His love that died for me while I was a sinner, not when I was perfect. My hope is in a grace that I do not deserve, but that I have.

So, I press on, knowing and trusting that the Lord is changing me, I'm growing to know Him more, and my prayer is that He is getting ALL the glory.

HAPPY MONDAY!