5 Uplifting Bible Verses, Motivation From Romans

When I read through the letter that Paul wrote in Romans it’s hard to not be motivated. Paul was both courageous and disciplined. He was excited to motivate others in their Faith, and was willing to travel great distances to do so. He was undeterred by the challenges he saw ahead of him. Paul was also excited to let others motivate him, and had the mindset of a life long learner.

Below, we are going to look at several scriptures that we can keep in our back pocket to help us be motivated to press forward through whatever life throws at us. Through these verses we see the faithfulness, transformative power, and hope we have through Christ.

1. Romans 5:3–5 (NLT)

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

Questions We’re Allowed to Ask:

• How can we rejoice through life’s deepest struggles, why would I even want to do that?
• Why am I having to face this struggle in my life?

Motivational Thoughts:

Regardless of where we are in our Faith, we’re going to struggle. In fact, your views on religion, or God in general may have little impact on the types of struggles we face in life. Many things are simply out of our control.

What I see Paul giving us here is a simple alternative to being defeated by the life’s challenges. We could absolutely allow ourselves to be defeated in the struggle if we wanted to. However, I see Paul saying we also have the choice to be grateful that this struggle is going to change us into a stronger person.

Even with this knowledge, the choice to be grateful through suffering is a hard one to make if we don’t know how. Paul is pointing us toward Jesus in that he shows us how. After all Jesus knew a thing or two about suffering.

2. Romans 8:28 (NLT)

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Questions We’re Allowed to Ask:

• Why would God use tragedy as part of a greater plan for good?

Motivational Thoughts:

It’s easy for us to think of God in the context of a great being in the sky, orchestrating the chaos of the world and rewarding whom he pleases with an easy life. However, I think this type of picture forces us to have such a limited view of who God is. I believe there is so much inspiration in realizing the concept of God is far outside of my ability to comprehend.

BUT what if we simplify this equation just a bit and just say that God = Perfection? Taking this a step further, what if we admit that we’re not perfect? I can certainly admit that. I can also admit that I would like to be perfect, I at least want to strive for it. We have to strive for something right, so why not strive for the best. After all, no one ever goes into the Olympics striving for the silver metal.

If I think about this from that perspective, it is much easier for me to digest. I’m currently imperfect and moving toward perfection. It makes sense to me that process might be messy, there might be hard lessons to learn along the way. I might make mistakes, even some that I don’t realize are mistakes. Now what if it’s not just me going through this process, but rather millions or billions of other people. We’re all trying to go from imperfect to perfect, making mistakes along the way, and impacting each other as we do that.

However, I think we can be very encouraged to know that if we have chosen to admit that our own ‘way’ is flawed, and we insert the life that Jesus lived as the perfect ‘way’ for us then as long as we’re on that path, everything will work out.

3. Romans 8:31 (NLT)

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

Questions We’re Allowed to Ask:

• What does this truth change about the way we face challenging times?

Motivational Thoughts:

When I was somewhat new in my Faith it was easy for me to relate to a set of rules to follow. I could think of certain things as being pleasing to God and other things not being pleasing. However, eventually I learned that God’s best interest is me. Jesus’ primary interest is in me. When the Bible gives me guidelines to follow it is specifically to help me live a better life in the long term, even if it seems less optimal in the short term.

For me, that is a significant realization. Through Christ it makes God personal. It helps me connect in a way a son would connect with his father. Knowing the truth that God has an infinite love for me, and that the instruction I receive through the Bible is all for my benefit, makes it an easy crutch to lean on through challenging times. I see how Christ faced tough times, and I know regardless of the outcome of any situation I am in control of my perspective. Since I have the freedom of the example Jesus showed me I have the ability to be joyful through even the craziest of challenges.

4. Romans 8:37–39 (NLT)

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Questions We’re Allowed to Ask:

Why am I experiencing struggle, did I go wrong somewhere?

Motivational Thoughts:

It can be really easy to question ourselves when we are in the middle of something challenging, or just something uncertain. While I do think reflection is a very important part of personal growth I think placing blame on ourself is a step too far. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we are certainly to blame for the struggle we experience. Even if that’s the case, I don’t think it’s productive to sit in that blame.

Something I have found to be very helpful, is that following Christ’s example is hard. Simple and very rewarding, but hard. Doing something that’s hard naturally comes with experiencing struggle and making mistakes. In fact if I wasn’t experiencing those things, that might be cause for concern. Because I do encounter struggle and failure I know I’m headed in the right direction. If I have chosen to follow the path that Jesus showed me, then I’ve already won at this battle of life. No amount of struggle or failure on my part will separate me from him or from where I’m headed.

5. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Questions We’re Allowed to Ask:

• How can I allow God to change the way I think?
• What would it mean to adopt God’s customs in my life?
• How can I understand when a custom goes against what God desires for me?

Motivational Thoughts:

On the surface I think it might be hard to distinguish between what types of customs align with what God wants us to follow. There are behaviors that are obviously bad, but many more that seem to be innocent. When we read through the Bible, and especially study the behaviors of Jesus we can see there are many very disciplined behaviors. In fact, I certainly believe discipline in general is a behavior God wants us to pursue.

I think starting with a behavior of discipline we start to uncover the other customs we need to adopt and which ones we need to stay away from. We certainly find these by reading what the Bible has to say and staying in community with others who can encourage us to apply the right behaviors to our life. I also don’t think that perfect discernment in this area happens over night, but rather over a life time.

Personally, I have adopted various habits thinking they were taking me in the right direction only to discover that they were in fact a drain on my life. As I realize that, I have to admit that I make mistakes, need to re-compare that aspect of my life to how Jesus lived his life, and then recalibrate how I move forward. I think that’s a process we never stop doing.

In Summary:

The book of Romans provides powerful motivation for navigating life’s challenges with faith and perseverance. These verses remind us that struggles are opportunities for growth, that God’s plan works for our good even in difficult times, and that His love is unwavering and unshakable. By embracing God’s transformative power and trusting His guidance, we can find strength, hope, and purpose in every season. We can be motivated to press forward with confidence, knowing we are never alone and always supported by God’s perfect love.