Online Bible Verses - Romans 12:12 Be Joyful in Hope

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

Three pretty good guidelines I would think, with each tied to the other two.

Be joyful in hope: Sometimes we don’t feel so joyful, others we do. Depends on two factors:

1. What type of person we are, glass half full or empty. A good day for one may be not so good for another. People take different points of view, some tend more positive than others.

2. Our environment. What takes place around us impacts our perspective. I recall one day, in 1994, when I lived in Los Angeles. I was healing up from a bad accident, and we were awakened at 4 AM by a major earthquake. It just was not going to be a good day. Even with a glass half full attitude.

Regardless of how things are going, we can have hope. Hope in an end game which is better than we can even imagine. Better than even the best day on earth.

Patient in affliction: the toughest time to stay positive. Chronic illness is a very good example. Pain and suffering with no end in sight. It gets so bad, you sometimes would rather not even be alive. They cannot figure out what is wrong with you. Can’t even diagnose it, so to add insult to injury and put whip cream and cherry on top, they diagnose you with a psychological disorder, which in turn causes one. Only hope for a better future keeps you going. The kind of hope Christ offers.

faithful in prayer: tap the true source of hope in order to experience it. Talk to Him every day, many times. When I drop my kids off at school each day, that is what I leave them with: “Talk to God today.”