Loving God of all, pour out Your blessings upon the needs of this dear reader. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
During the "glory days" of campus ministry in Texas, campus ministers were allowed to teach Bible in state universities for university credit. It was a great money-maker for the state school because we would teach the three hour credit course, they would collect every cent of the tuition, the student would get university credit for an elective, and we would have the exposure to our ministries from which we could draw for our programs and ministries. Just as I left campus ministry, one certain attorney general ruled that this was not indeed separation of "church and state," and ruled that this nice set-up could no longer exist. But during my time at this university, I enjoyed the enrollment of young men who were exploring the call into the priesthood. Unless I was misinformed, these guys were encouraged to take my class, to better understand the Protestant mind. Hmm, they chose poorly! During the days we talked about justification (salvation) we took separate paths. It was the "works vs. grace" debate. I had lived that during my year at Southwestern University, a classmate was studying to become a teacher, receive her vows as a nun, and thus pay off a "sin." Her sin I discovered was not hers at all; a priest grabbed her and kissed her after school when she was in high school. She felt responsible and felt the only way to be forgiven this sin was to work it off. Paul would have told her, as I did, that we are forgiven our sins simply by grace and faith, not by works.
Romans 5:1-11 reads: Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access [by faith] to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
This young woman simply needed to ask God to forgive her and she would be forgiven and that would be the end of it. Paul says it in verse one, "we are justified by faith," and as a result "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," and a new standing with God. Paul goes on to share a faith checklist of that which we receive from whatever it is we face: Suffering produces endurance (hang in there!); endurance produces character (a better man/woman!); character produces hope (this too shall pass in God's time!); "and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." In our times of weakness (at the right time!) Christ died for us ("the ungodly") and the classic, "But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us."
That young woman from a report heard about her, did not enter an order nor did she take vows, other than the ones she took with her husband. She did become a teacher and a mother. God granted her a peace that she needed about that unfortunate incident in her young life. In the same way, peace can be ours regardless of past actions we have done or were done to us. God is a merciful, loving God who will forgive us our sins and grant us peace. If we are suffering check off the things that are coming your way because of where you are and what you are enduring. We are never alone and we are never in a state where we say we are not being blessed. Receive your blessing today! Receive the hope that is ours!
PRAYER: Lord, only You know the needs that I face right now. You know the stress and frustrations that have come to me while facing this, but I pray that that which You revealed to Paul be mine today. Let the suffering give way to endurance, to character and to hope, and I claim that hope will not disappoint. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
