Daily Devotion Thursday October 14

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.      ~ Romans 5:3-5

Is there a way to respond to suffering besides complaining or lashing out in misery? Paul says there is. We can glory in them. What?!? It comes back to trust. We can trust that something other than suffering is going on.

A young woman joined the worship team at my friend’s church. A seasoned Christian heard her voice and said, ‘she’s beautiful now, but wait until her heart has been broken. She’ll be glorious.’

Hope springs from suffering. When everything is going well, what is there to hope for? What is the need for something different in the future.

Suffering produce character that can not be produced in any other way. That is not to say God causes our suffering. But God doesn’t WASTE it. God uses it to bring a depth to our character that we didn’t have before.
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Prayer: God, I recognize that I don’t enjoy suffering, but I am willing to believe that you can bring good because of it. Do your work in me as I endure with your help. Amen.