Stand Strong

I want you all to think back with me as we begin this morning. Many of us looked forward to leaving high school behind with all of its challenges. Then we began to experience a whole new set of challenges in college or in the workplace. We began wondering what direction we were going to take in life.

When I was a student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock Texas, I took part in a Bible group each Wednesday night. I saw a lot of my friends come in and get involved but then begin to fade out. I see some of that in the church setting today. Individuals will come in and get on fire for the Lord, accept Him as their Savior, be baptized in His name, and are fairly active for a while. Then they begin to fade out.

Some of us have probably been in the same situation and in the same frame of mind at one time or another. The trials of life tend to turn our attention to other things rather than worshiping God. The covid virus of 2020 shut down a lot of the churches for a while. People became accustomed to staying home and not going to church. But now the churches are open, and many people have yet to return to the church to worship God. They've become accustomed to sitting in their pajamas and drinking coffee and watching it on Facebook. Which is okay to a certain extent.

So we are all involved in yet another trial of life. But God is reminding us today that trials are a part of the Christian life. Jesus has warned us as recently as last week that difficulties don't leave us when we choose to follow Christ. Jesus never glossed over the challenges we face as His children. When He spoke about His return, Jesus also spoke of the hardships we will face, difficulties that would even increase. Thankfully, we will not face them alone. God reminds us today that whatever trial we face, He is there waiting for us to turn it over to Him and stand strong.