November 19
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FAITH AND ENDURANCE
A poem by ILMA
When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it a chance for great joy
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow
When your endurance is fully developed, you will be complete, needing nothing
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you
But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone
Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as anxious as the waves
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation
Then they’ll receive the crown of life that God has vowed to those who love him
And remember, don’t ever think “God is tempting me.”
God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away
These desires give birth to sinful actions and when it grows, it gives birth to death
Don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father
He created all the lights in the heavens, He never changes or casts a shadow
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word and we are his prized treasure.
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MEMORY VERSE
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing – James 1:3-4
Read: James 1:1-16
The world looks at suffering as something to avoid. In this book of James, we see how God looks at trials as something to be joyful about. When we have trials, we have a chance to endure and when it’s fully developed, we will be complete, needing nothing.
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REFLECTION
• How can believers learn to look at suffering the way God sees it?
• What can endurance bring to our lives according to James?