1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotionals. We are so 2 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,599 Speaker 1: glad to have you listening with us here today. Today's 3 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: topic is God doing his work in us. We will 4 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: return after a brief message from our sponsor, God Working 5 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: in Us. Written by Laura Fletcher, red by Rochelle Alberti 6 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: Bible reading. We can rejoice too when we run into 7 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: problems and trials, for we know that they help us 8 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: develop endurance, and endurance develop strength and character, and character 9 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: strengthens our confta and hope of salvation. And this hope 10 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: will not disappointment, for we know how dearly God loves 11 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: us because he has given us the Holy Spirit, fill 12 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: our hearts with his love Romans five three through five. 13 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: Maybe what God is doing is working in you. I 14 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: told my friend I had run out of ideas. I 15 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 1: didn't know what to suggest. Her circumstances were not easy, 16 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: and I could hear the frustration in her voice and 17 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: tears on the other side of the phone. God must 18 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: have a plan right now, in the season where she 19 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: didn't know what God was doing, I was sure he 20 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: was doing something. I had heard this idea at church, 21 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: reselling that during challenging circumstances. God works in us. He 22 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: works things out in us and through us. Whenever I 23 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: go through trials or hard times. Romans five three through 24 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: five have been my favorite verses. It says that when 25 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: we go through trials, it develops within us endurance and 26 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: strength of character. There is something good that can come 27 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: out of our suffering. One time, in particular, I can 28 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: reruber these verses speaking to me during quarantine. Sickness hit 29 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: our home at the same time our air conditioners stopped working. 30 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: It was late summer. I got a painful bite from 31 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: what I guessed to be a horsefly. Then our ceilings 32 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: started leaking drough to a storm. Surprisingly, at that point 33 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: I took it in stride, because so many things have 34 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: been happening. I found my strength in the word in God. 35 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: I turned to my Bible and read this passage from 36 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,799 Speaker 1: Romans aloud. If nothing else, I could trust that there 37 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: was a purpose behind the hard things that happened. God 38 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: is still doing something he can work in us. Not 39 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: only does God develop endurance a strength of character in us, 40 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: but this passage in Roman says that character strengthens our 41 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: confident hope of salvation. Romans five to four this encourages 42 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:02,519 Speaker 1: my heart, Paul continues, and this hope will not lead 43 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: to disappointment, for we know how dearly God loves us, 44 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill 45 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: our hearts with his love. There is a purpose for 46 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: our struggles, and we are reminded that our loving God 47 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: is trustworthy in this time of trial. My friend had 48 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: also said that God is refining her. In First Peter, 49 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: there is a passage that says, these trials will show 50 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as 51 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:35,119 Speaker 1: fire tests and purifies gold. Though your faith is far 52 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains 53 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise 54 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ 55 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: is revealed to the whole world First Peter one seven. 56 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: There have been many moments in my life that I 57 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: haven't understood, but the changes within myself have been worth 58 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: It is saving me and growing me me to the 59 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: closeness I have with God and the better understanding of 60 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: the Gospel intersecting faith in life. Another passage to lean 61 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: on during hard times is James one two through four. 62 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come 63 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For 64 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance 65 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: has a chance to grow. So let it grow. For 66 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect 67 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:36,359 Speaker 1: and complete, needing nothing. How can the passages in Romans 68 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:40,919 Speaker 1: and in James encourage you during challenging times? Are you 69 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,679 Speaker 1: going through a hard time right now? Let his word 70 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: give you hope. Lord, Thank you that we always have 71 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: hope in you. Thank you that there's always a purpose 72 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 1: for our suffering, and that you are working something out 73 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: in us. Thank you for what you're developing in our hearts. Lord, 74 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,840 Speaker 1: draw near to and comfort those who are suffering right 75 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: now in Jesus' name. Amen. 76 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 2: Further reading James one two through four, First Peter one seven, 77 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 2: Ephesians thirty sixteen, Colossians one eleven. 78 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,120 Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and 79 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: Salem Media. 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