Virtues
Romans 12:12 ESV Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Joy and hope go together like strawberries and cream! It's hard, if not impossible, to be hopeful and miserable at the same time. Christ's resurrection fuels our hope and joy. Patience and tribulation are more like chalk and cheese than fish and chips! Yet if we respond well to troubles, God will develop patience within us. After all, another name for patience is longsuffering- having the strength to suffer long and to bear up under it. How can we have forbearance in the face of suffering? Through the hope of the Gospel. Tribulations aren't the end of the story; resurrection life is. Prayer isn't so much natural as supernatural. Naturally we like to do things in our own strength. Prayer is an acknowledgement of our need of God's strength constantly. 'God of hope, may we rejoice in you as we ought, persevere through troubles, and cry out to you at all times, for we ask in Jesus...