Resilience: Standing Firm in Faith - Part 3

Most everyone acknowledges the fact of their personal limitations. To refuse to do so could prove embarrassing or even dangerous. There is a place within our body, mind, and spirit that acknowledges there are limitations to our capacity to bounce back from failure, from poor judgments and bad choices.

It's reasonable to believe that success and triumph can be as difficult to manage as failure. Stories abound of individuals who ascend to the top of the ladder of success only to fall off because of inadequate character strengths to manage success. Deliberate, destructive impulses may gain control and sabotage success.

After the last supper Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives, where he told them they were in danger of turning away from him due to the temptations they would later encounter. Peter vowed he would never fall away, yet before the evening was over, he denied even knowing Jesus. That  failure became a peak experience for Peter's character and faith that would push him forward to serve Jesus faithfully.  

Resilience: Standing Firm in Faith - Part 2

Steadfastness is a character quality that sustains the believer through hard, difficult days. Distractions remind us we are not completely sufficient in and of ourselves. Steadfastness anchored in trust to Christ Jesus prevents evil forces from pulling us away from our commitment.

James 5:11 reminds us of Job's steadfastness. He refused to surrender his faith even as Satan took away all he possessed except his life and his wife. Faithfulness is compared to a house built on solid rock that incapable of being  dislodged from its foundation by a storm. Where steadfastness is weak, it's like a house built on sand and swept away by the storm.

Steadfastness becomes rock-solid as God redeems our heart and soul. He purges away all sin and guilt and then renews our mind as we ingest his word. Jesus desires to create in you a new person that's incapable of falling away regardless of the wickedness you face. This is good news Jesus offers to you.

Resilience: Standing Firm in Faith - Part 1

Disease and illness are hard to avoid. Striving to live here in the Houston area free of allergies is an example. Medications, a healthy diet, and living responsibly contribute to staying healthy. Resilience, that toughness of personality and spirit, can also limit the impact of an illness. But sometimes a fatal disease can silently creep up on us before we realize something is dreadfully wrong.

There's something unique to be gained for those who face death with faith that God is our eternal destiny. Harvey Gilbert relates how a friend managed the finality of death: "As the illness advanced, the long flight of steps represented a unique awakening. The disease gave death time to live and its victim time to die, and time to discover time, and in the end to discover life."

God sent his Son Jesus into the world to give us light and a life worth living. Discovering a life worth living requires slowing down and giving consideration to God's purpose for giving you life. That discovery is life-changing.