James 1:2-4, New Living Translation

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

When I hear the word endurance, I can go running. As a runner, you are building up your endurance and strength to run faster or to run a longer distance, to accomplish a goal. What I really want to talk about is spiritual endurance.

It’s so important for us to be in God’s word. If we don’t read it, if we don’t meditate on it, if we don’t practice what we preach, our endurance won’t be built up. Any little or big thing that comes at us will cause a disturbance. Maybe frustration or anger or sadness will take first place in our heart, in our mind, in the moment. James 1:2-4 (NLT) says, “Dear brothers, and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

I myself am guilty of getting caught in a moment that shakes me. It seems like it’s so easy to be tossed by the storms of life or even sometimes just a breeze. I don’t want to live that way. God doesn’t want us to live that way.

Just as the author of Hebrews tells us, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT) As Paul clearly expresses the importance of faith, he also says in Romans 10:17 (NLT), “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

Yes, we need Jesus, but we also need His word! Without it, we wouldn’t know how to follow Christ. We wouldn’t know the nature of God and His deep love for us. We wouldn’t know the power of Christ in us!

There are times when we struggle. Jesus never told us that we wouldn’t. He did say that He would be with us always. If we have received Christ Jesus as our Savior, then we have received His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth if we give Him the time. And when we need a physical being, we have one another, the body of Christ. Paul instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT), “So encourage each other and, build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

I don’t know about you, but I could use all the encouragement I can get! Sometimes life is hard. And sometimes we need a reminder to hold onto God. Remember the faithfulness of God! Remember His love for you, and how He gave His very best for you!

I hope this encourages you to get in His word. Not only will it help you to endure, but I will teach you how to stand up against the enemy! So, when that storm comes, or even just a breeze, you won’t be shaken, you will be like a tree planted by the water. 

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a river bank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried about long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NLT)