Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
I am not sure when it happened, but at some point, a lot of Christian churchgoers came to believe that a life following Christ would come pain-free. While sitting in the comforts of the present day, and rolling into church an hour a week, people are disgusted and shocked when life is still difficult. And despite James’ instructions in James 1:2 of “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds,” most crumble at difficulty and question why this is happening to them. This world is broken, and a life following Christ, while fruitful and fulfilling, has never and will never be easy.
In 1 Corinthians 16, you can feel the sense of urgency and concern in Paul’s voice. He’s not fearful, but he’s aware of his circumstances. In verse 8, Paul says, “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has been opened to me, and there are many who oppose me. We sometimes forget that as Paul and other disciples traveled, they were despised, hunted down, and attacked. That’s why in verse 13 he says, “Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong!” Paul knew what he was up against, but he still had joy! He was there to encourage, and that’s one thing that is very important in our work for God. Encourage and serve others!
In verse 17, Paul said, “I was glad when Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also, such men deserve recognition.” Wouldn’t it be great to refresh someone’s spirit?! We will all find difficulty at times, but we must not waver! Concentrate on encouraging others and serving others, and lean into God for wisdom and understanding. Maybe even try considering adversity pure joy. And one day it will be worth it, as we hear “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”
Prayer: Thank you, God, for adversity, so that I can learn to rely on you and not myself. And thank you for placing people in my life who encourage me and refresh my spirit so that I can continue to follow your path with joy.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.