The Choice to Rejoice - Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - December 3, 2020
Thursday, December 3, 2020
The Choice to Rejoice
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance” (Romans 5:3 nlt).
Everywhere the apostle Paul went, there was either a riot or a revival. Paul never had a boring day in his life that we know of. There was always something going on with him.
Yet Paul didn’t merely endure these experiences but rejoiced in them. He wrote, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:3–4 nlt).
Paul was describing the kind of trials in which there’s nothing we can do to make them go away. But when Paul went through those hardships, he made the choice to rejoice. And we have that same choice before us.
I can’t control what happens around me, try as I may. But I can control how I react. When difficulties come my way, when things that seem unfair happen to me, when I’m going through a time of hardship, I can choose to be better or bitter.
Some people choose the latter. They’re bitter. They’re mad at God, mad at the world, and mad at their family. They’re mad at everything.
However, others say, “Lord, I don’t know why you’ve allowed this, and I wish you wouldn’t allow it. But I want to be better. I want to learn through this.”
Some trials that come into our lives are short-lived. But others don’t go away, and there’s no way around them. So what should we do?
We need to put our hope in God.
Remember, Paul said, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” Maybe you don’t understand it at the moment, but there’s a reason for what you’re going through. God is working through it. And He never will let you down.
Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
Kids today are growing up in a world that’s fast, loud, and often lonely, but Jesus offers
them a friendship like no other. In this warm and beautifully illustrated book, bestselling
author Sally Lloyd-Jones helps young readers see that Jesus is not far away. He’s close.
He listens. And He loves them more than they can imagine. Jesus, Our True Friend is a
powerful gift for children, families, and anyone who wants to pass on the love of Christ.
Request your copy today with your gift to Harvest Ministries.
