Moments of beauty are birthed from Pain. Embrace each step in your journey as a prerequisite for your breakthrough. ROHO Sermon
The Bible states that it is God’s will not that you simply suffer aimlessly, randomly, or mindlessly but that you suffer for the purpose of doing good and, more importantly, that you endure that suffering. Therefore, God does not orchestrate purposeless suffering in your life but rather, on the contrary, redeems your suffering, giving you the grace to endure it for the purpose of serving as a witness to the power of the gospel. Your children, your spouse, friends, coworkers and even skeptical nonbelievers—will observe the way you handle suffering, and they’ll learn from us.
One of the biggest misconceptions in life is that each day is supposed to be better than the last. It took me a long time to free myself and God from this unrealistic notion of "constant progress". More and More I hear people talking about all the goals they have for themselves as we all "shelter-in-place". Yet underneath all the plans we make lies the expectation that God is supposed to constantly bless us and Today's blessings are supposed to be bigger and better than yesterday. Not only is this idea unfair to ourselves it is also not Biblical.
I talk with so many people who can list a 100 things they want to change or make better. They want to lose weight. They want more money. They want to have children. They want to find a husband or a wife. Yet when I ask them to list the things they love about themselves, they have a hard time even coming up with a few things.
I encourage you to approach today differently. Get out of this race for perfection and spend more time in gratitude. I always remind you the two most important words you can ever say to God is “Thank you”. Likewise the most important words you can say to yourself is “I love Me”. Developing self love is essential to pleasing God. “Love thy neighbor as you love thyself” (Matthew 22:36). Today I ask you: What do you love about yourself? What are you grateful for? I want to hear from you. Click Below to share with me the things you love about yourself. God Loves You!
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"Trusting and forgiving in Healthy Relationships"
Scripture for Meditation
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (KJV) — "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Beloved, your weakness is not your disqualification—it is the very place where God's power becomes undeniable. When you stop demanding that every day surpass the last, you free yourself to see God's strength perfected in your struggle right now.
Romans 5:3-4 (NKJV) — "And not only that, but we also glory in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." The pain you're carrying today is not wasted. God is building something in you—endurance, depth, and a hope that cannot be shaken by circumstance. Each step through suffering is a chisel in the Master's hand.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (KJV) — "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory." Your trials are refining you into something precious. The fires you walk through are not punishment—they are transformation.
Walking It Out
List three things you love about yourself today—not what you want to change, but what is already beautiful in you. Write them down. Speak them aloud. This is the antidote to the comparison trap that keeps you measuring yesterday's blessings against today's struggles.
Identify one person who has inspired you through their suffering—someone whose faith remained steady when their circumstances didn't improve. Reach out to them. Tell them what their example means to you. This is how we become witnesses to one another of the gospel's power.
Release one unrealistic expectation you're carrying. Is it that every day must feel better? That you must achieve all your goals simultaneously? Speak it to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to replace that burden with His peace about where you actually stand today.
A Prayer for You
Father, I come before You asking that You heal my heart from the tyranny of constant comparison and endless reaching. Help me to see my pain not as evidence of Your absence, but as the place where You are teaching me Your faithfulness. I release the weight of needing every day to be better than the last, and I ask You to fill me with gratitude for the ground I stand on right now. Let my life become a living testimony to Your redemptive power, that those who watch me—my family, my friends, even the skeptics—might see Jesus in the way I walk through this season. In Jesus' name, Amen.
About the Author
Rev. Nicholas S. Richards is an ordained minister, author of Destiny DNA, and founder of ROHO. For over 11 years, he has written more than 6,000 daily devotionals reaching believers worldwide. Learn more about Rev. Richards.