“By entering through faith into what
God has always wanted to do for us – set us right with him,
make us fit for him – we have it all together with God
because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw
open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that
he has already thrown open his door to us. We find
ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand –
out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory,
standing tall and shouting our praise.
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise
even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how
troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that
patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue,
keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert
expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling
shortchanged. Quite the contrary – we can’t round up enough
containers to hold everything God generously pours into our
lives through the Holy Spirit!"
Romans 5:1-5 (The Message)
