contributed by:
Karen Galanto- Waipahu HS victory club leader, Grace Bible Church
2 Timothy 2:3-4
“Endure suffering along with me, as a good solider of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.”
Like soldiers, we need to put aside the obstacles to our spiritual growth-our dependency, our pursuit of pleasure, our denial.
There will be times where we grow weary and want to quit. We will experience pain, fear and a host of other emotions. We will win some battles but lose others in the war to achieve wholeness. We may get discouraged at times when we can’t see any progress, even though we have been working hard. However, if we persevere through it all, we can maintain the ground we have gained.
Like a soldier, we are in a war that we can only win if we fight to the end.
I learned that it’s not worth it giving up for what what you fought for. I remember God speaking to me through this quote in the Purpose Driven Life, “Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go.”
Pretty self explanatory huh? We should not dwell on our difficulties and problems, but be thankful of how far we’ve come with God.
WE all have to learn how to live our lives with everyday challenges.
“Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live.”-Proverbs 9:6
The hard way out may be difficult and impatient, but hey, it’s all worth it: God acknowledges the difficulties we face, but He also promises us victory in the end. God is determined not to give up on us. We are much stronger than we think we are. We can always rely on His unfailing love and He also promises to keep working on us until we are whole. With His help and strength, we can handle anything thrown our way.
And remember brothers and sisters, God keeps His promises. You’re not fighting alone.
Jesus Loves You
3 Comments
I felt as if I was in a war with the airlines when I tried to catch a flight out to anywhere on mainland soil. Every time I was rejected a seat on a flight, I felt like giving up because I was discouraged. God really tested my patience in this matter. The part where you mentioned about putting aside our pursuit of pleasure was something I was struggling with through my experiences at the airport. That was a major factor in why I got so angry and impatient with God when things were happening. Let me tell you all that my patience and continues faith in God was hecka worth it! Thanks for yet another post, Joshywaah!
God bless!
Btw, the illustration looks really scary. I wonder if he really did make it up that rock…haha!
joshyywaah?
wow.this one was done by Karen, one of the youth..
amazing what God does yeah? Man, if I only had that passion and zeal for Him like she does when I was in high school.