COUNT IT ALL JOY
Denise Linton
Today's Scripture: “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13, ESV
Theme: When hurts, illnesses, and circumstances pile up, it’s easy to become bitter. Instead, keep the faith, have hope, and show love.
PERFECTION IS ONLY IN HEAVEN
Imagine that you lived a life with no struggles, no hard work, no challenges, and getting what you wanted every time. Your first thought might be, “THAT would be awesome!” But you may never experience faith, hope, or love if you didn’t also have failures, struggles, disappointments, or loss. These three great attributes are strengthened and may even come from your pain and struggles.
We are not promised a rosy, pain-free life just because we chose to become Jesus’ followers. In fact, Jesus has warned us that there would be trials and struggles as we go through this life (John 16:33). If there were no trials or struggles, would we learn to grow spiritually? Would we ever trust in God?
James writes “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:3, NLT). James uses the phrase “you know,” not because you learn from reading this scripture, but because you learn when you experience your faith being tested! When you experience great struggles, you have the opportunity to grow spiritually and know God’s goodness first-hand. You learn to have faith and hope in God today because you remember that He has been faithful in the past.
GOD’S WORK THROUGH US
When faced with great loss or trauma, our human instincts are to shut down, retreat, or fall back. We can feel like it will never get better, or we feel that we can’t get through this situation. We want to run away. We may start feeling sorry for ourselves, expressing anger, shutting others out, turning to drugs or alcohol to fill the pain, or even becoming bitter. As Christians, our faith can waver; we move away from God instead of toward Him.
In the movie “Little Boy,” Father Oliver encourages Pepper to follow an ancient list to help grow his faith: to feed the hungry, visit the sick, take care of those in need, and love others are a few of the disciplines. The priest didn’t mean this was a way for Pepper to earn the outcome he wanted (although he takes it that way!). Rather, he wanted Pepper to take his eyes off his situation, focus on those in need, and see God at work in different circumstances.
Love is more than a sentiment for someone else; love must act, meeting physical needs much like the list Pepper was attempting to complete. Yet in addition to meeting the physical needs of the poor, we can also pass on faith, hope, and love. Just as Pepper goes from good acts with the wrong motivation into loving thoughts, we can grow. We can offer hope, encouragement, and inspiration, and we can lead people to a place of being able to trust in the Lord. It will also bring us to a place of greater faith and hope.
GOD’S GOT THIS
Have you ever been around someone who has amazing faith? I have a friend like that. No matter the circumstance, even in crisis, his response is, “God’s got this.” There are times when I find myself shaking my head in disbelief. This is me, thinking from the perspective of my flesh, and not spiritual insight.
In one scene of “Little Boy,” Pepper makes the statement that everyone will laugh at him for having faith that he could move the bottle. It is thought of as magical thinking. This part of the movie reminded me of King David from the Bible. In the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17), many of the soldiers and his brothers laughed at David for his faith and belief that he could defeat the giant. David had already experienced faith and knew what his God had done in the past. Despite the circumstances and the overwhelming odds, he trusted God and had faith in God’s plan. I think he might have even said to himself, “God’s got this.”
Make it Personal: Young Pepper was not thrilled to complete the list, as many of us may have the same feeling during a time of struggle. We are more focused on trying to get out or through the circumstances than we are not interested in what is going on with others. If you have been struggling with faith and hope in a difficult situation, take your eyes off your own struggles and look for opportunities to see God at work. Find ways that you can show love to those in need, whether by taking food to a sick neighbor, helping someone in the grocery store line, serving on one of the many teams during the weekend service, or just taking the time to offer words of kindness to strangers. Make your own list and check off each area you complete and open your eyes to the miracles that are happening around you.
Pray: Father, forgive me for the times that I have lacked faith in You, for relying on my own thoughts, and for harboring disbelief. You are in control, even when I am more focused on my situation instead of You. As nice as it sounds to have everything go well in my life, thank You for the struggles that bring me back to You. Help me to learn to remember that in all circumstances, God, You’ve got this. Amen.
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:13; James 1:2-4; John 16:31-33
Weekly Memory Verse: “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20b, ESV