When To Persevere!
"My brethren, count it all joy when you
fall into various trials, knowing that the
testing of your faith produces patience."
James 1: 2-3
Christians are
told, “Be careful what you pray for!”
When we pray for patience, we will likely encounter
interruptions, delays, and distractions. And
when we
pray for generosity, we will likely meet with people or
situations that could benefit from our resources.
When we pray for perseverance, we will likely
experience trials and tribulations. In other words,
character traits are only developed by situations
which test those traits in our life.
When James wrote his letter to believers who had been
scattered abroad, he told them the testing of their faith
would produce patience, or perseverance. That same
patience has a goal: spiritual and emotional maturity.
Immature people
become discouraged easily.
Therefore, we need experiences which will teach us not
to become discouraged and will make us more mature.
Another way of saying “maturity” is Christlikeness. God
uses everything in life—especially the hard things—to
conform us to
the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29).
If you experience troubles or trials today,
look for how you might grow more mature
by exercising patience and perseverance.
And be careful how you pray!
"We persevere through faith
and never apart from it."
Sinclair Ferguson