Romans 5 - "Faith, Hope and Love"

I love seeing glimpses of fall leaves in my little world. It reminds me of the beauty of His creation up north this time of year. It also reminds me God loves me so much. His love is something I think we take for granted at times because we are comfortable in living in it. When we stop and think about His love, we realize just how deep it is for us. God loved us enough to have His One and Only Son die for our sins. He loves us enough to accept our flaws and accept our repentance. He loves us enough to guide us through every day as we will allow Him to do so. Last night in Bible study we talked about how Isaiah's message is one of hope. He wanted people to no rebel but instead to follow God. If we want to be living as God desires of us, we need to share His love so people will have hope in Him. There is so much ugliness in this world yet God is there for all to love people through such 'junk.' He is always there for us but sometimes we do not allow Him to be Who He desires to be in our life. Shame on us. There is a saying for autumn that goes something like this. Autumn is proof that seasons can be beautiful. We may not like different seasons of life but one thing we can be sure of is that God is with us through them. His love will get us through difficult seasons and will rejoice with us in blessed ones. Paul wrote in Romans 5 about how God is there to accept us and love on us no matter what happens in our life. I love the reminder of verse two. Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory. Yes! We can celebrate God each and every day by celebrating His love, mercy, and grace. The Bible is full of His promises that we can be realized each day as we allow God to guide us. The words of Isaiah and Paul were written many years ago yet they apply to us today. Verse five of Romans 5 can and will be lived out as we lean into Him. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love. Woo hoo! I like the words never fail! I am reminded this morning of a song Point of Grace sings called "Faith, Hope and Love"...

There's a lot of hurt and sorrow 
That can cloud the bluest skies 
Still there's hope in tomorrow 
If we just close our eyes 
To every fear we must face 
As we learn to embrace

Yes! We must learn to embrace what God has for us so we can live out His love. Some days are more difficult than others but He is always there for us. Praise His Holy Name!

Dear Jesus, 

Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace that not only gets me through 'tough' days but blesses me in abundance! Thank You for being with my Momma yesterday with such a long day! Thank You for the words of Isaiah and Paul that were written so many years ago yet apply today! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May people see/hear You through me today. I pray the message of hope over many going through difficult days. My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Beth; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Amber; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Rick; Cyndi; Serena and her husband; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Chrissy's cousin; Shirley Jones; Preacher Bill Watts; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Alex's niece; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; my new friend with pancreatic cancer; and Sue Danhoff's husband Harv. I pray for: the Long Family, Becky, and Russ. Thank You for continued healing for: Pastor Donna, Pastor Tommy and Pam, and Baby Ziva! I pray for a father with a prodigal daughter to know You have not left him. Lord, be so close to Baby Henry's family as they await his heart surgery. Thank You for being My Hope! Amen.