Monday Manna

This is the 2nd time I have participated in my friend Joanne's Monday Manna.. Check out her great blog http://joannesher.blogspot.com/

Here's her introduction of Monday Manna:

The purpose of Monday Manna is to get together and get to know Christ more through His Word.For those of you unfamiliar, on the first and third Mondays of each month, anyone who wants to participate can post their thoughts on a specific verse. The verse is posted here at my blog on the Thursday before, to allow you to chew on it over the weekend. It doesn't have to be a long post -- just a few thoughts, a picture you feel helps express it, a poem, a short story, a devotional.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

When I was thinking about this, I looked at each phrase and saw that they have something in common and that is "OPPOSITES". Let's take this first part "Be joyful in hope...." Have you ever seen a hopeless person? They look somewhat blank faced and have no positive emotion coming from them. They look to be "Joy-less". Now have you seen a hopeful person? They have something they can hold onto and with that comes peace... that peace brings forth Joy. The joy of knowing that this will pass...

Now the second part says "patient in affliction..." Have you ever been to visit someone who was afflicted with a sickness or perhaps a debilitating disease? When their pain or discomfort comes upon them; it's not easy for them to just let it go without letting out some kind of exclamation. Whether it be a cry out or groan, it's too hard to be silent when your body is suffering in pain. So how is it that we are told to be patient in affliction, when our natural instinct is to let our discomfort out? It's the opposite of what our bodies are telling us to do. Who is our greatest example of patience while going through great affliction. Jesus was that example when he was going the trials of his Crucifixion. He suffered greatly, yet he pushed on. He knew that this will pass..

Let us look at the third and final part "Faithful in prayer...." In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (kjv):

we are told to "Pray without ceasing." I have been told that this means, we should be in an attitude of prayer all the time. We should be prepared at any moment to offer up a prayer of thanks, worship or of need. Have you ever made a "Faithful prayer partner " commitment or have your ever told someone I will pray for you and then you were unfaithful in your promise of prayer? It's easy to forget to pray, but Prayer will help with those things that we may be going through. If we do the opposite of what our forgetful nature presses us to do, then we can say to our struggles and trials that this too will pass..