Joyful Ruins

Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling. Have you come to the end of yourself, do you thirst for a drink at the well?

Yes! In my hopelessness, I hunger for God and His truth. Today, I wonder if I will ever be free from some of the chains I am shackled by. Will I ever stop believing or thinking some of these lies? Will I ever be healed fully? Perhaps not this side of heaven, but I receive encouragement and hope from Romans 4:17-25.

Our God is the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which didn’t exist! v.17

Do you need life? Our God can resurrect you in any and all the dead parts of your life! And, if it has not happened, if full health, a promise, a blessing does not exist, our God calls into being what doesn’t exist! He can make anything happen!

Encouraged yet? Let’s read on!

v. 18 Against ALL hope, Abraham in hope believed!

Hopeless? Think again. As long as Jesus is in your life, you have hope. Jesus is your living hope! Against ALL hope, hope!

Let’s read on!

v. 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead- since he was about 100 years old- and that Sarah’s womb also dead.

Your faith does not have to be weakened by the facts. He, our God, is greater than the facts. The fact is, you are unemployed, you are sick, you are depressed. But the facts are not final in God’s kingdom so do not let it weaken your faith!

v. 20 Yet, he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.

Is this promise, this kind of faith and power for us too? Yes! Read this!

v. 23 The words, “it was credited to him as righteousness” (that is Abraham’s faith) were written not for him alone.

v.24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

How do we receive faith, how do we get the credit for righteousness? By believing in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead! That’s it!

So, today, know God brings the dead to life, the non existent into existence. Today, against all hope, hope! Be strengthened in your faith and give glory to God! Be fully persuaded that God has power to fulfill His promises to you.