Scripture: 1st Corinthians 15:57-58
Thanks be to God, who gives us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! As a result of all this, my loved brothers and sisters, you must stand firm, unshakable, excelling in the work of the Lord as always, because you know that your labor isn’t going to be for nothing in the Lord.
Thought for the Day: I came across these words from Brennan Manning:
Suffering, failure, loneliness,
sorrow, discouragement, and death
will be part of your journey.
But the Kingdom of God
will conquer all these horrors.
No evil can resist grace forever.
In knowing some of Brennan Manning’s life story, his struggles and the personal demons he fought, I find his words to be inescapably bound to hope. There are plenty of folks trying to offer you a really good deal on how to avoid all brokenness and hardship, but you can feel pretty confident that their deal is fraudulent. Each of us faces and struggles with our own unique set of issues, some because of personal poor choices and others that appeared on our doorstep with no explanation. Whatever the case, facing them without hope is frightening. Without hope, a period of darkness can become the defining moment of our existence. Paul writes to the people of Corinth, speaking of a victory already won. The problem remains in the fact that we live in a world that is refusing to acknowledge grace’s victory.
Prayer: Keep pumping hope into my heart, O God of Grace, or I might begin to think brokenness and hardship will have the final victory. Keep pumping it into my life, and I will continue to do my best at living a life of grace. Amen.
