All tagged endurance

People face many trials in their lives, and as Christians we are not exempt from them. It is common for new Christians to think that because we experience a deep seated hope in salvation that this implies that our hardships in life will vanish, but to the surprise of many we find that they do not, and are a necessary part of a robust faith. Suffering through trials increases the endurance of our faith, which in turn strengthens our character, and this leads us to an amazing hope, and at last, a confidence in our salvation through Jesus Christ. When we suffer, and we do so in Jesus, something amazing happens… our faith, and walk with Him becomes stronger, and sweeter. The confidence, and hope, we have of salvation wells up in us, and God’s will for us in Christ, extends beyond our earlier hope into reality.

Are we capable of waiting on God without it harming our faith? Is our patience short lived, and our perseverance nearly nonexistent? In this modern era of instant gratification in which everything is about ourselves, and what we want, patience and perseverance are very rare commodities it seems. There is no place that this is any more evident, nor damaging, than in our spirituality, and faith. Yet despite this, God continues to ask us to be patient as we wait on Him, and to persevere in our belief by loving, remaining faithful, and trusting in Him. But are we so conditioned to expect everything we want right now that our faith fades when we go through periods of quiet? Are we able to love, and worship our God, when what we ask of Him is a long time in coming?