ZPCBlog

About the author: Ann has attended ZPC for the past 10 years since moving to Indy with her husband of 49 years. She and Mike have a married son in Colorado and a married son and 2 grandsons in St. Louis. Ann is currently serving as a Deacon, has served on the Great Banquet Kitchen Team, helps with welcoming and serving Communion on Sunday mornings, provides childcare for MOPS, and has helped serve meals at ZPC and at Str8up. Ann is active in her Home Group and women’s Bible studies. Her main hobby is making jewelry but she especially enjoys using her talents to help others. Two years ago, she started knitting hats for the homeless. ZPC’s Loose Threads group sews small quilts then pins a matching hat to the quilts before it is donated to men, women, and children who are without a home. To date, Ann has made over 300 hats!

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through 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. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And 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 (NIV)

What comes to mind when you think about PEACE? Freedom from worry and anxiety? The absence of war and fighting? Calmness and tranquility? Paul’s message in Romans explains peace as a reconciliation with God which is only made possible through our faith in Jesus Christ sacrificing his life on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins. Nothing could be more valuable than God’s peace that exceeds all understanding!

HOPE is a confident expectation of good things to come. Hope grows as we learn about God’s plan for our lives and gives us the promise of a future with him. God has given us so much to hope for: eternal life in his presence; seeing our Lord face to face; the redemption of our bodies where there is no more sickness and infirmity; the health of our souls which are no longer tempted by sin.

JOY is different than happiness, which is situational or conditional. To have joy in our suffering might be something we find difficult to understand and do. But when we learn that God can use the pain, suffering and tragedy that comes into our lives to build our perseverance, we can better appreciate that these circumstances help us to develop a more Godly character. 

I could give many examples in my life where I have experienced pain, suffering, and tragedy. And to be honest, it has been in retrospect that I could come to appreciate that God used these circumstances to allow me to be able to relate to and minister to others who were struggling in similar situations. Because of my difficult times, I believe I have grown in my ability to trust God and to pray for his will (not my will) to be done.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
As we navigate through life’s problems, temptations, challenges, and suffering, help us to be confident in the power available to us from Christ who lives in us by the Holy Spirit. And as we mature as followers of Jesus, remind us that we need to find joy even in the hard times and be thankful for the opportunities to grow into the person you created us to be. In your holy name we pray.
Amen 

Activity:

Make a list of some of your past difficulties and how God has used your struggles to develop your character.

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