“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer…” Romans 12:12
This seems so easy, or at least that it should be easy. But we know that is anything but the case.
Rejoice in Hope. Rejoice means to be glad and hope means what is wanted. So we are glad in what we are hoping for. Okay, makes sense. Easy enough.
Be Patient in Tribulation. Okay, this may be a little harder. Patient is to wait. Tribulation is serious trial or trouble. Ouch. This may be a little harder. So I need to be patient, which is hard when I am waiting for something exciting like my birthday or Disney World, but patient when it is a trial I am going through? A little harder!
Be Constant in Prayer. I like to think this is easier than it really is. I find that I have to be pretty mindful to make sure I don’t let the day get away from me and that consistently throughout the day I am praying and thanking God and talking to Him. It can be easy to all of a sudden find that it is 6 pm and the first prayer is grace at dinner. I know that is not what God has in mind for me.
I am going to continue and work on expanding my definition of Romans 12 as I feel like it is one of those verses (they all are!) that I need to continuously revisit. If you just skim the words, it may look easy but when you spend time and really unpack it? It can hit you like a slap in the face. Maybe that is a little drastic but I think you know what I mean. To really live the Bible means to really live it and do what it says, not just read what it says.
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