We are all children
of our times.
One of the
pervasive marks of our times is emotional fragility.
We are easily hurt.
We pout and mope
easily.
We break easily.
Our marriages break
easily.
Our faith breaks
easily.
Our happiness
breaks easily.
And our commitment
to the church breaks easily.
We are easily
disheartened, and it seems we have little capacity for surviving and thriving
in the face of criticism and opposition.
“Count it all joy,
my brothers, when you fall into various trials.”
James 1:3
What will be the
character traits of the twenty first century westerners, Europeans and
Americans alike, when the historians will list them?
Will commitment,
constancy, tenacity, endurance, patience, resolve and perseverance enter the
list?
Or will the list
begin with an all-consuming interest in self-esteem?
And be followed by
the subheadings of self-assertiveness, and self-enhancement, and
self-realization?
How much of our
lives truly concentrate on Christ and how much of it is given to ourselves?
We need help here!
When we are
surrounded by a society of emotionally fragile quitters, and when we see a good
bit of this ethos in ourselves, what should we do?
One answer is to
spend time with people – whether dead or alive – whose lives prove there is
another way to live.
“Be imitators of
those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Hebrews 6:12
This post is part of Thursday Devotionals series. Right now it is going through the life, work and faith of Charles Simeon.
Would you like to read the first part, Are You Ready To Suffer For Christ?
You might also enjoy the second part of the series, Growing Downward.
I also recommend the thrird part for the children of this generation called, All Consuming Interest.
The fourth part is called, Peace Flowed In Rich Abundance.
If you have not yet read the fifth part , This Sweet Hope.
Take some time to read the sixth part also, Blessed Are The Peacemakers.
Hope you will enjoy reading the seventh part, A Double Blessing To Your Ministry.
Are you willing for, A Little Suffering For Christ's Sake.
I also recommend the thrird part for the children of this generation called, All Consuming Interest.
The fourth part is called, Peace Flowed In Rich Abundance.
If you have not yet read the fifth part , This Sweet Hope.
Take some time to read the sixth part also, Blessed Are The Peacemakers.
Hope you will enjoy reading the seventh part, A Double Blessing To Your Ministry.
Are you willing for, A Little Suffering For Christ's Sake.
Oh I just love this. Both scriptures provide strength to stand in this shaky world. The second scripture made me think of my deceased grandmother... she exuded Christ in everything she said and did. What a mentor she was.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop!
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
xoxo
It was an honor to be part of your link-up, Jennifer! I also love both of the Scripture verses, we need to remember that our joy is in heaven, not here.
DeleteSomething I direly need today. :)
ReplyDeleteNow it seems everyone's complaining, whining, quitting. That's why I quit Facebook and started to focus on following empowering blogs instead. It's hard to stay positive when everywhere you look, people seems to be doing the opposite.
Thanks for these verses. I needed to remember them today. :)
I'm so glad to hear that you found the post inspiring. Hoping to share the faith together with you in the future too!
DeleteSuch good questions here. Important things to consider not just for a generation for ourselves as individuals. What do we stand for? Thank you for linking at Small Wonders.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting, Beth! It was a pleasure to be part of Small Wonders. And I agree, these are things we need to ponder for ourselves too. What I stand for?
Delete"How much of our lives truly concentrate on Christ and how much of it is given to ourselves"
ReplyDeleteSomething to consider in every moment. A reminder needed often.
Thank you for posting.
Thank you for the visit, Donna!
Delete