Throne of Grace
We’ve all messed up.
We’ve all done things, seen things, and said things we regret. We’ve all sinned—ignoring God’s commands and rebelling against His ways. And we know it, too. This is because God gave us the ability to discern right from wrong. His Word reveals His righteousness and magnifies our lack and need for Him.
The bad news is our sin separates us from a holy God.
But the good news is Jesus has already bridged the gap.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, lived the perfect life we couldn’t and died the brutal death we should’ve—becoming the final and ultimate sacrifice. He’s paid our debt, cleared our names, and defeated death itself by rising back to life. And now, as the author of Hebrews suggests, we have an open invitation into His presence…
Joy in Hard Times
Nobody enjoys suffering. It’s hard to find joy in the midst of trials or difficult seasons—it’s much easier to feel sadness or misery.
That’s why Paul’s encouragement in Romans 5 may sound contradictory. Paul was writing this to the church in Rome experiencing suffering from ungodly rulers, and yet he encourages them to rejoice in their suffering.
It wasn’t enough to just endure suffering—he tells them to have joy. Paul knew that it wasn’t natural to be joyful in hard times, but through the work of Jesus, Christians have peace with God and access to faith (Romans 5:1-2). Faith allows us to hold onto the hope that suffering isn’t the end of our story.
Because we know that God works within our difficult situations, we can have patience and perseverance for God to complete His work. Perseverance refines our character. As we wait on God, we become people who look more like Jesus, and our trust in God grows stronger. This increases hope within us.
It’s not...