Perseverance

What is perseverance? Do you have it? Why is it important in our spiritual life? Before we jump back into our Bible study, let's look at Webster's definition of perseverance.

perseverance:
the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult : continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition

So what does this have to do with our Christian lives, much less celebrating our trials like we talked about last week? Let's dig in to James 1:2-4 and find out more.

Trials

Trials... Are you facing any today? Yay! So let's celebrate them.

"WHAT?" I hear you saying it already. "Why in the world would I celebrate my trials?"

The answer... it's Biblical.

Let's get started in the book of James again and see what I am talking about. Grab your Bible, a notebook or your Scripture Study Worksheet, and a pen so we can start digging into this crazy idea of celebrating our trials.

Trials, Perseverance and Wisdom

Are you facing trials? Is your faith being tested? Do you feel like you are lacking in wisdom? Many of us face those challenges on a regular basis. Today we begin our Bible study in James which will begin to show us how to face those challenges and grow in the wisdom and security of Christ. This is going to be your opportunity to SLOWLY learn, not just more about the Word, but how to dig into it more deeply.

More Bible Study Resources

Are you ready to start digging into the scripture? Does your spirit jump with excitement as you begin thinking about being one on one with the Creator of our Destiny? I'm so excited to introduce you to a few more tools that will hopefully make this study, not only a more enjoyable experience, but also help you establish a pattern of study that you can pass down for generations to come.

I hope you have taken the time this week to start looking over the Bible Hub site I introduced you to in the last post. It is really amazing all the tools that are available to us. I truly believe now is the time to start utilizing these resources before they become threatened by Satan's attack on Christianity and our religious freedoms.

Bible Study Resources

Are you ready to dig into the book of James? Before we get started on our Bible study, I want to share as many of the resources that I can with you, so that you can start becoming familiar with them as well. Don't be alarmed, it won't be as hard as you might think... especially if you grew up as I did.

I can remember my mom preparing for her Sunday school lesson when I was little. She would have stacks of books laying around the bed: commentaries, Bible dictionaries, atlases, the lesson quarterly, etc. I wondered how in the world she could ever figure out how to use all those resources to get the information she needed. Thankfully, we live in the generation of the internet and instant access to a vast number of FREE tools.

The Dummies Guide to Being a Christian

There are "Dummies" guides out there for everything. We are familiar with the yellow and black manuals that tell us step by step processes for whatever it is we need to learn, know about, repair...whatever we need to be informed about, there is a "Dummies" guide for it. Wouldn't it be wise, if I want to learn how to be a better Christian, to get my hands on one of those books?

That may be harder than you think. The picture you see here isn't an actual book, but a Photoshop creation. Yes, there are book on Christianity for Dummies, etc... but why go to a book like that when we can consult a better source?

Seasons of Silence

Have you ever felt like you were at a loss for words? …or at least when it was important? I tend to have plenty to say in the unimportant moments. Yes, those moments seem important to me. I am defending my actions, declaring my rights, or proclaiming my views. But, are those really the important moments. Are those maybe the moments I need to learn to embrace a season of silence instead?

Who? Where? What? When?

Who am I? Where am I going? What is my purpose? When will I ever figure it out? Do you ever ask yourself these questions? If so you are not alone. I think that at some point, if not many points in our life,especially the New Year, we all ask ourselves these questions. Maybe part of the problem is that we are not asking the right person. Maybe instead of asking ourselves, we need to focus more on God's answers to those questions.

Who am I? Oh, I can tell you my name, who my parents are, and even my worst qualities... but does that really define who I am? I'm learning more and more to look for the answers in the best guide book ever written. So, let's see what God's answer is to this question and the others as well.