Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,Ĭount it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. We are able to endure all these things because of the strength that God provides, through the Holy Spirit that He makes available to us.īesides, if all of life is a test, then it must be an open book one, because at anytime, we can open the Bible and find the answer to any question that might come up.Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.Īnd let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. God wants us to build perseverance, to develop our character, and to strengthen our hope. Tests, trials, problems, challenges - all these happen for a reason. Looking back now, I see that at the very worst of those times in my life, God’s hand was there working, because if those things didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be where I am today, both location wise and in spiritual maturity. The worst of them happened together almost at the same time. I didn’t know God back then, so I didn’t know when I was being tested, and certainly never learned anything from any situation that hurts me other than Danger: STAY AWAY.īecause I have certainly been through some hard tests in my life. I refused to get hurt, and so I did not let anything get to me, or get close to me. Years of hiding behind a mask of cynicism made my heart as hard as stone, and my skin as tough as leather. The way that we react to these tests, the choices we make when we are being tested, and the ideologies we choose to believe determine what kind of person we are going to be.īefore being a Christian, I was already numb to the challenges that happen in my life. Also, instead of being awarded grades or passing statuses, what we are building are our attitudes and behaviors. The marks that we get determine whether we pass on the next level or not.Īs we grow older, we learn that life teaches many lessons outside of school, and that testing is still a mandatory part of it, although they are very seldom of the objective paper and pen type used in the academe. However flawed, that system is still widely prevalent. had to endure), tests are the only method of assessment by which a student is said to have ‘learned’ something. In traditional learning school systems, which the majority of us attended (i.e. The hope that comes from God that is, the one that doesn’t disappoint. I think if Yoda pointed Anakin to the Bible instead, he would have learned the accompanying qoute to that: suffering leads to perseverance, perseverance builds character, and out of character comes hope. Yoda said that to Anakin when he was a young boy, and we all know how that kid ended up. There’s a quote from a Star Wars movie that goes like this:įear is the path to the dark side. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance 4perseverance, character and character, hope. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
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