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Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Encouraging words

It is always good to know that someone is praying for us. Here we have the Apostle Paul praying that we will be filled with joy and peace in believing by the God of hope. We must note that he is not praying for happiness, but joy and peace. He is also praying that we may abide in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. These are blessings that we can surely hold on to. Glory be to God!

Psalms 121:1-4 (120:1-4)

I lifted my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
Let not your foot be moved;
Neither let Him who keeps you slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Encouraging Words

As a follower of Christ, we can know without a shadow of a doubt where our help in life comes from. It is our Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, that helps us through every aspect of life. He never slumbers and is always present in our lives. Glory be to God!

Romans 15:4

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Encouraging Words

We have been blessed with thousands of years of written Scriptures and teachings to guide us through our lives. They give us patience and comfort as they provide us what we need along the way. Glory be to God!

Psalms 120:1-4 (119:1-4)

To the Lord in my affliction
I cried out, and He heard me.
O Lord, deliver my soul from unjust lips
And from a deceitful tongue.
What should be given You, and what added to You,
Against a deceitful tongue?
The arrows of the Mighty One are sharpened
With hot coals from the desert.

Personal Challenge

The psalmist reminds us that God hears us when we cry out to Him. He also hears us when we speak out with unjust lips and deceitful tongues. We must remember that God knows all, sees all, and hears all, not just the good things that we want Him to know about. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 15:1-3

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

Personal Challenge

It is imperative for us to remember that if we are choosing to be followers of Christ then His expectation is that we will die to ourselves and live for Him. This passage provides some examples on how this looks. We are to bear with the scruples of the weak and not please ourselves. This gives us the opportunity to encourage them in their weakness and help them to grow stronger. We are to please our neighbor and not look to our own desires for this is what Jesus did for us. Doing these kinds of things lead to the edification of those around us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 119:147 (118:147)

I arose at midnight and cried out;
I hoped in Your words.

Personal Challenge

Life is full of challenges and difficulties. Our biggest challenge is to be willing to cry out to God for His help through these challenges. We so often move to the place of doing it ourselves, our way. God is there to hear our cry and to offer us His hand to guide us through. We must, however, cry out to Him and put our hope in Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, 
the sinner!

Romans 14:19

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

Personal Challenge

Paul concludes his discussion on loving our fellow Christians by challenging us to pursue those things in our relationships that result in peace and edification of one another. In order to do this, we must be willing to humble ourselves and put others first. Even if our doctrines are slightly different, as long as we are followers of Christ, we are family. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 119:133 (118:133)

Direct my steps according to Your teaching
And let no lawlessness rule over me.

Encouraging Words

We have seen two passages in this psalm that show us how God provides His light to guide us on our path through life. He does not stop there. He is willing to direct our steps on that path according to His teaching and guidance. We just need to be willing to follow His direction. We can also pray to Him asking that we be protected from the lawlessness of this world that will try to distract us from Him. Glory be to God!