Unwavering Faith
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"But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses..." (2 Corinthians 6:4) The value of our faith is proven through the adversity of different circumstances. The trials and suffering reveal how strong and firm our faith is and what is the real foundation on which our life is built. There are many things that can rise against us and threaten our life, our possessions and even our souls. What will make us stand and not crumble, wait with hope instead of hiding in denial or despair, and face circumstances with peace of mind and confidence that in all this mess there is meaning and a purpose for our lives? It takes an unwavering faith in a God who is always present, always loving and always watching to bring to fulfillment His divine and perfect plan for us whom He loves. It is a consuming trust in God and a continual reliance on Him even when everything else seems to prove to the contrary that gives us the strength and the motivation to persevere. This is the testimony of the just. Yea, the just live by faith. The saints of God who go through many sorrows and afflictions without stumbling or complaining but with joy and hope in their hearts prove themselves to belong to the different reality of the faithful. Their attitude in these hard circumstances is the one that manifests them as children of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, striving towards a heavenly prize. Let us not grow weary or discouraged in our hearts because of the various afflictions and trials that come upon us. Let us rejoice in them, remembering that they are the instruments used by our loving God to form and prove us as children of the light, as we walk with joy, anticipating an eternity with hope. And thus we are manifested as those who live by faith, those whom God calls just. The Lord is at hand! |