Morning by Morning, November 3 - "Quite a Character"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of kings and Lord of lords, be King and Lord of my life and this day. ...
"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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" (Romans 5:1-5).
It was said of me when I was younger, "He's quite a character." And I'm pretty sure that wasn't always intended as a compliment! I think the statement was usually accompanied with at least a little bit of rolling the eyes, raising an eyebrow or shaking the head. But sometimes those words came with a smile, a wink, and a knowing nod. I think I just liked the attention and convinced myself that everybody loves a character. So quite a character I became -- for better or for worse -- some days more better; some days more worse!
But along the way, purely by the grace of God -- and I do mean the unmerited, undeserved, much needed unlimited grace of God -- I opened my heart to Your Holy Spirit and let You pour Your love into my life. I found deep peace with God but also great pleasure in this exciting adventure of a life of faith in Jesus Christ.
Through the days of glory and also, just as importantly, through the days of suffering, You've been with me, stirring up hope and passion within me to hold on to hope -- to endure, to persevere, and to overcome. You've empowered me by Your Spirit to not merely survive, but to thrive. And somehow along the way of this daily journey of faith, You've been at work within me to make me more like You, to make my character more like Your character.
Lord knows, You still have a lot of work to do in me! But through all we've been through together, I'm "confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in (me) will (be faithful) to complete it" (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). And when it's all been said and done -- all by the power of the grace of my God who gives me all the attention I'll ever need -- I'll be "quite a character" indeed. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
I pray you will be quite the character God has created you to be, not just surviving but thriving every day in the love and power and grace of God at work within you, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Friends, I'm excited to be sharing a message Hope and Healing with Max Lucado this Wednesday Night, Nov 4, at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. Please come join us for the First Wednesday Worship and Healing Service. Our Rapha God Ministries team will be joining the Oak Hills Church Prayer Team to offer personal prayer ministry for everyone. All are welcome!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Please share this word to encourage a friend!
