Faith & Love: A One Year Bible Reading Plan - Part 4Ukázka

I don’t know about you, but I love to suffer… And I know that you immediately felt uncomfortable with that statement, and let me be completely honest – I DO NOT like to suffer either… Let’s be honest – we love the quick-fix, easy-does-it society we live in, but this way of living is not conducive for us to understand perseverance and endurance – which are main themes throughout the Bible and should be part of the Christian life. In this chapter of James, we see that James gives warning to the rich and then switches gears to endure and patience. He continues the theme of suffering when he encourages us to trust in the power of prayer. We can learn a lot from others who have suffered and had to endure, and Job is one such example in Scripture. He lost his possessions, his children, and his health, yet he continued to trust in the Lord and never gave up. Despite his friends' misguided advice and accusations, Job remained faithful and ultimately received a double portion of blessings from the Lord. We can learn from Job's example by persevering through our own trials and tribulations, knowing that the Lord is with us and will bring about good in our lives. Even when we face difficulties that seem insurmountable, we can trust in God's compassion and mercy, knowing that He will see us through to the other side. One of the keys we are given to endure is to pray and to trust in the power of prayer. An active prayer life will be your anchor to carry you through any season of suffering. Let us hold fast to our faith, trusting in the Lord's goodness and provision and counting ourselves blessed as we persevere.