In which I attempt to write a devotional of sorts...

Dear reader,

I have been learning a lot of Christian-ly things these days, from school, church, bible study, and a Sunday school class I am helping lead. I’ve been learning a lot about perseverance and God’s plan. So I decided to accumulate all that I’ve learned into one… well I guess you could call it a devotional. For my benefit and yours.
I hope you enjoy my ramblings and hopefully learn a bit in the process.

(And, of course, I have to add some pictures I took today, to make it more interesting.)

Perseverance:

.verb

1. to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.

In my worldview class, we are learning about Job. In the story of Job, Job’s faith is tried. Job goes through many trials and suffers greatly but “in all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:22 ESV)

Practical Application: The Book of Job reminds us that there is a "cosmic conflict" going on the behind the scenes that we usually know nothing about. Often we wonder why God allows something, and we question or doubt God's goodness, without seeing the full picture. The Book of Job teaches us to trust God under all circumstances. We must trust God, not only WHEN we do not understand, but BECAUSE we do not understand. The psalmist tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). If God’s ways are “perfect,” then we can trust that whatever He does—and whatever He allows—is also perfect. This may not seem possible to us, but our minds are not God’s mind. It is true that we can’t expect to understand His mind perfectly, as He reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Nevertheless, our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not.

[http://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Job.html]

My worldview teacher pointed out that just because you are a Christian, does not mean you won’t suffer. Everyone has suffering whether small or large. Whatever suffering we are going through, we must persevere. The best way to do that is through prayer. God won’t answer your prayer exactly the way you ask it, but he will answer it in the way that fits your needs best. God knows what you need. Remember that in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, God didn’t deliver them from the fire, he delivered them through it. Similarly, God won’t deliver us from the suffering, but he’ll deliver us through it. James 5:11 says, “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

God has a plan for you.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”

Remember, however, that God’s plan is ‘for the GOOD of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ The GOOD for us is being CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON. God’s plan is there for us to be more like Jesus. So everything that happens, whether good or bad, is part of God’s plan to make us MORE LIKE JESUS.

So trust him.

So the lesson of the day is PERSEVERE! You don’t always know God’s plan. He has stuff going on behind the scenes that you can’t even imagine. Everything will work out for your good in the end. Trust God, be more like Jesus, persevere.

Sincerely,

Sophie Marie

P.S. Hopefully this all makes a little bit of sense.

What does perseverance mean to you?