Friday, January 16, 2015

Fantastic Friday #454 - Endure

Endure


For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 15:4-6

While the world around us continues to change, a lot towards the negative, I often think what positive things are going on where God is seen and not properly thanked.  Think about the things you have had to endure this week, the bad traffic, the annoying co-worker, the cashier that is more interested in talking to their neighboring co-worker then focusing on your needs, or the hacking/coughing person who just should have stayed home.  While all these are minor annoyances, other people have endured bigger things this week like the loss of a friend, their chemotherapy treatment, the loss of a job, or doubt of God's involvement in their life has crept into their thoughts.  As this scripture says, God gives the encouragement and endurance that we need. Many times we turn to those around us for encouragement because maybe they have that listening ear, but our real encouragement comes from God through His Word.  While I hope these weekly devotionals encourage people, remember it is the Word of the Lord that each devotional starts with and not my own.  Now is the time to endure whatever hardships we may have by turning to our Lord and Savior for the encouragement we will receive.

Have a great weekend.

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