Romans 5: 1-5... new favorite

A little inspiration comes from anywhere... today during RA interviews a student shared this verse with us... I wrote it on my hand so that I could remember to go back and read it later... Once I read it... I knew I had to share it... with whomever may be reading this:

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

I think this is a verse that everyone should dwell on. Think about how it applies to you and your life. I believe that there is so much encouragement in this verse... this is how I see it:

verse 1 tells me how I am able to have peace... and not just peace, but PEACE THROUGH OUR LORD!!!!!! How much better can that be than any little measly feeling of comfort that we might have???

verse 2 tells me that I can't have grace without faith, and that faith comes from the Lord.

verse 3 tells me that by dealing with sufferings, I can learn to deal... and to persevere through those sufferings.

verse 4 tells me that perseverance builds character... and those lessons give hope... hope for the future and hope from your suffering.

verse 5 tells me that all these things are a gift from God through the Holy Spirit. Hope from the Lord will not disappoint.

I really hope that this verse will lend some encouragement to some of you...

it makes me smile just to read it. :) - KC

Here are 2 prayer requests for the night:

- my friend Allison's mom had a mastectomy yesterday... she is doing well but in pain, and is hopefully going home tomorrow.

- a coworker's 4 year old daughter Sophie had a tumor removed today. Here's his facebook update after the surgery: "She just got out of surgery and she did very well. The tumor was removed and the surgeon doesn't believe she has anything to worry about. The mass was rubbery rather than solid like something malignant..." Please pray for Sophie, her dad Kevin and the rest of the family.