Day 7 | August 12, 2023

Valentina Barnes

Romans 15:4

⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Reading the passage Romans 15:4, I reflected on what hope means for a Christian and what it is based on. I also thought about how much the promises in the scriptures have helped my life. The first thought that came to my mind was Jesus, and then I asked myself the question, “What is the main hope of a Christian?” It is knowing that Christ already gave victory on the cross. How do we know this? We know it through the scriptures and the revelation that the Holy Spirit gives us through them. The Bible is the word of our Father written on paper; it is a divine gift for his children. 

When I was writing this devotional, the Lord led me to think about going on a road trip to a new place in which I have great expectations because I have heard positive and beautiful things about that place. But since it is a new destination, I have no idea how to get there. So, I would need a GPS to guide me in the right direction. A GPS guides us, it was created and prepared before we started the trip and it will guide us along the best path. It avoids places with a lot of traffic, it indicates the time of arrival, and even warns us of car accidents. Some GPS systems tell us where there may be police or if there is any adverse weather. But it promises to get us to the right place and this led me to think that the Bible is the GPS of our life. The Bible is how we get to the right place in the best way. Although the path is not 100% clear to us, it is already written in the Bible and it continues to guide us to reach our destination. It brings us to where our hope is, which is eternal life. The Father took care that every word in the Bible was written with a reason, and we must remember that as Psalms 119:105 says, it is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for your word! I ask that it be You giving us hope and through that, Your Holy Spirit fills us with patience and joy while we go down the road in which You deliver truth to us, guide us, and give us consolation, in the name of Jesus. Amen!