Day 24 - A Supportive Faith

Posted by Amanda Runnels

ROMANS 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into his grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.

This passage spans many great examples of the importance of faith in our daily lives. We are “justified by faith” and have “gained access by faith” in order to receive his amazing grace. What exciting statements, what awesome ways to sum up how we get into heaven! But wait, we already know that if we believe and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have the all-access pass that Michael has talked about. So what happens next? Do we expect that everything should fall right into place and never face struggles? And then, when it doesn’t fall right into place, do we give up and allow doubt to win?

The second half of this passage responds to that question, and I believe that this is where our relationships and our Church family step in to take each of us to a whole new level of faith. We all know it is easy to have faith when everything is going our way, but when we struggle in our marriage, or job, or with loneliness and doubt, isn’t it then that faith is the one thing we need most and the most difficult thing to grasp?  How do we “rejoice in our sufferings” when it seems like it will be so much easier to give up?

It is during times like these that having strong Christian relationships and influences are the most important. I used to think that dealing with personal issues was just that….personal. What I have learned since joining Peace Community is that my struggles are much easier to bear when I have others to help me carry the load. These great people are able to step in and encourage your faith and reinforce the hope and glory that is right around the corner if we just hang on together. With a strong support system in place, those sufferings don’t seem so overwhelming, perseverance builds character; character, hope; and the best part, hope of God’s ultimate gift of love. We no longer have to face these struggles on our own!

PRAYER:  ”Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you today knowing that you not only know the desires of my heart, but also know that I am struggling with having enough faith to pull me through. Please help me find comfort and strength in those people that you put into my life, and allow me the courage to ask for their help during this difficult time. I want to receive full access and know that your plan for my life is much greater than I could imagine. Help me rejoice in this time that I may grow to be a stronger example of your perfect love. I love you, I praise you, and I thank you, and it’s in your name I pray, Amen.”

POINT TO PONDER:  Sometimes we need others to have faith for us in order to jumpstart the process of keeping the faith through troubled times.