God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 

—James 1:12

Scripture:

James 1:12 

Several years ago, I was talking with a young woman in a wheelchair and her friend after church. The young woman had a severe disability. As we talked, I asked her, “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine,” she told me.

Then her friend explained that the woman had just undergone two brain surgeries to remove cancer and that the operations had been successful.

I looked at this young woman who had just come through such a difficult time and thought, “And where is she now? She’s at church.”

I thought of all the excuses people come up with as to why they can’t make it to church. They have a cold, or it takes too long to get into the parking lot, and so forth. Yet here was this young woman who, despite her life-threatening diagnosis and recent surgeries, was at church, praising God and saying that she was doing fine. I was touched by her example.

I said to her, “You know, the Bible promises a special blessing and crown to those who have suffered in this life. I admire your faith. You’re an inspiration to me.”

In that young woman’s story, we find today’s amazing truth. James 1:12 explains it perfectly: “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (NLT).

The first reaction for many people when trials, tribulations, or setbacks occur is to ask, “Why me? Why did God give this burden to me? Why can’t I be as happy or as healthy or as financially secure as other people? Why couldn’t I come from a nurturing, functional family? Why do I have this dark cloud over my head? Why does life have to be so difficult for me?”

These are all understandable questions, but they reveal a shortsighted view of life. Our time on this earth is a mere instant, a blink of the eye, in the big picture of eternity. Certainly, the things that happen in this life have profound implications for eternity. But the things we endure are temporary.

The reality is that God uses trials, tribulations, setbacks, and challenges in people’s lives to accomplish His will. How He does it isn’t always apparent to us. When the apostle Paul asked God to remove an affliction from him, the Lord replied, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

That’s why our best response is to patiently endure what God allows in this life. Because our heavenly Father is gracious and generous beyond our imagining, our patient endurance through these temporary challenges and struggles will be rewarded for eternity.

Reflection question: What would patient endurance look like in your life?Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. 

—Proverbs 11:25

Scripture:

Proverbs 11:25 

There is a story of an infamous pirate named Juan Carlos was rumored to have buried an enormous treasure in a location only he knew. One day a man approached Juan Carlos in Mexico, pushed him to the ground, and said, “Tell me where all your money is buried, or I will kill you right here on the spot!”

Juan Carlos didn’t speak a word of English and needed an interpreter, so he saw a boy nearby and called him over. The boy relayed the man’s message to Juan Carlos and, fearing for his life, Juan Carlos said to the boy, “Tell this man I don’t want to die. Tell him the money is located thirty paces north of the city water tower, under a large rock.”

The boy turned to the man and replied, “Juan Carlos says he is an honorable man and that he will never tell you where the money is. Juan Carlos says kill him now.”

There are some people who, once they see an opportunity to claim something for themselves, will do so without a second thought about the consequences. For them, joy and satisfaction come from possessing. In geometric terms, they see God’s blessings as a line segment with fixed ends. The blessings begin at Point A, with God, and end at Point B, with them.

God, on the other hand, views His blessings as a ray. They begin at Point A, with Him, but then continue indefinitely, through Point B and beyond. The apostle Paul explained it this way: “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT).

This perspective aligns with the words of Jesus in Luke 6:38: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT). This isn’t a formula for getting rich; it’s a picture of the overflowing generosity God cultivates in His people.

Proverbs 11:25 puts it this way: “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (NLT).

The amazing truth at the heart of these passages is that God blesses us so that we can bless others. Ultimate joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment come not from possessing or hoarding God’s blessings but from passing them on to others.

One of the best-known hymns ever written begins with the line, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Flow is the key. His blessings flow to us and then through us to others. God wants us to be part of how He blesses others. When we think only in terms of benefit for ourselves, we dam the flow. We become obstacles to the ways He might bless others.

The only way for God’s people to truly prosper is to be generous. Refreshing others with what God has given us is one of our highest callings.

Reflection question: What would blessing others with what you’ve received from the Lord look like in your life? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master. 

—Genesis 4:7

Scripture:

Genesis 4:7 

Many years ago, my son Christopher was lying out in the sun at our house when he woke up to find a huge gopher snake, coiled up and hissing at him, poised to strike. The snake must have been six or seven feet long. Terrified, he ran into the house and shut the door behind him.

His encounter serves as an illustration of the danger of sin—it’s always ready to strike. To use another analogy, sin waits at the door of our lives, looking for an opportunity to enter. In some cases, it’s already slithered across the threshold and made itself at home.

This is the amazing, but difficult, truth that we’re going to look at today: Sin is a potential threat—not just every day or every hour, but every minute we draw breath in this life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (NLT). Unfortunately, though, sin never goes out of season, even when it seems like it should. Many Christians have learned too late that they’re most vulnerable to sin after a “mountaintop experience”—that is, a powerful spiritual experience. Emboldened by a sense of spiritual victory or maturity, they let down their guard and leave themselves open to sin.

Other times, it’s not quite so lofty circumstances that make us vulnerable. We see this in the tragic story of Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis. When Cain saw that the Lord accepted Abel’s offering but not his, he was angry. That in itself wasn’t a sin. Anger is an emotion, and it isn’t always sinful. But what we do with anger can be right or wrong.

God recognized the vulnerable position Cain was in and gave him a warning. He essentially told Cain what was going to happen to him if he didn’t get himself under control. “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master” (Genesis 4:7 NLT). Like a wild animal, sin is crouching, ready to pounce.

We don’t have to be victims of its attacks. In fact, we don’t battle sin in our own strength. Our heavenly Father helps us resist sin and put it to death.

The next time sin comes knocking at your door, you might say, “Lord, would You mind getting that? I’m going to stand in Your strength. I’m going to trust in You. You’re the only one who can give me the strength to overpower sin.” In order for us to master sin, we must first be mastered by Him who conquered it.

Reflection question: How can you keep from letting down your guard against sin? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie