“³Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” — Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

It all starts somewhere and getting to hope is no exception. Getting to hope, starts with suffering. There is difficulty that is going to be a part of all of our lives. And as Christians, that difficulty may feel even more defeating as we feel as though how is that possible with God on our side. And, how could God allow for the difficulty when He is on our side.

Well, God is allowing for the difficulty for what comes between that difficulty and ultimately lands in hope. It is the endurance and character that He is allowing to be built in each of us. I have to learn to endure and that is something that will not come from success and easy going. I have to be tested and have to build the strength to carry on. As noted in the bible that even gold is refined by fire, it does not just exist as we know it, there is work that goes into cleaning it up. And diamonds are created by pressure not just coal lying on the ground and then the diamonds appear.

I have to be tested to develop endurance. I have to endure to reveal my character. The suffering that is in my life is there to provide the fire and pressure that will lead to my reliance and hope in God the Father for all that I am. It is that difficulty that allows me to fight through and make it to the end.

Endurance comes from seeking to overcome. When the difficulty is presented, I have a choice to give in and allow the difficulty to overtake me and lead to my defeat, or I can develop strength to go through the difficulty and make it to the end. In his poem: A Servant to Servants; Robert Frost writes “He says the best way out is always through.” and overseas missionary, Kathryn Long indicated the meaning as: “It means that when you are in any kind of a jam or situation in life, the best way to get out of it is by going through it until you reach the other side of it. It has to do with the notion that we learn from the hard things we get through in life, not from the times when everything is smooth sailing.” https://www.quora.com/What-did-Frost-mean-by-The-best-way-out-is-always-through-in-A-Servant-to-Servants#:~:text=It%20means%20that%20when%20you,when%20everything%20is%20smooth%20sailing.

It is through our sufferings that we gain endurance which leads to our character and ultimately to our hope. It is that hope that we are able to lean on as Christians in this world. I have to remember that the sufferings are temporary and they are for my growth as I press on through to the other side, which is hope.

What are the sufferings you are experiencing today? Are you pressing through them to generate your endurance and character? What if you were to see the suffering as on the starting point in your journey through to hope in the Lord?

As a Christian, I know that I will have trials and difficulties. As far back as in Genesis with Abram, “trials are expected” as preached on this past Sunday. We are told to leave and go to spread the gospel where God would have us go, only to find resistance along the way. Whether it is famine as Abram felt, being chased and coming along a sea to cross as Moses experienced, or persecution in the media for professing the gospel today. Trials in our journey are going to be experienced. Jesus lets us know that even in the face of trials and difficulties, we will survive, thanks to our endurance.

“¹⁹By your endurance you will gain your lives.” — Luke 21:19 (ESV)

God is right there with us through it all. Remember that Jesus did not leave us alone when He went to be with the Father in heaven. He left the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and protect us through all that we would be subjected. To the celebrations, and the tragedies. In victory and defeat. I have the Helper along side me through it all. I will make it through thanks to the Lord and His love and care for me. I have been provided with the endurance to overcome and pass through.

What trials are you experiencing? Are you surprised that you are going through them? What if you were to approach all with the understanding that they were going to be there and that God will provide the endurance to overcome?

Things do not always go as planned. One day I am with and another I am without. Jesus however will never leave, regardless of where I may find myself landing or being.

“⁵Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” — Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

I am not to be concerned with where I am or what I have, God certainly is not. He is with me in all times. I can have it all and He is celebrating with me. I can be completely broken down and He is picking me up. God never leaves me on my own.

I know that I forget that God is there with me, and in my forgetting I find myself pleading to have Him there when things seem to not be going as planned. I have this sense that I have to call on Him to show up and fix it for me. I have this idea that I somehow now “need His help”. Where was my calling on Him when things were going well? What about when things were just going? I have to remember that regardless of where I am, God is there with me and will never leave. I do not need to call on Him so that He will know to come and help. Hes is always there and I only need to acknowledge Him.

God is there in the good times and in the bad. In the good times I don’t realize His presence as I am out there doing well and don’t need Him. Why don’t I need Him, I should be calling on Him to celebrate with me and know that He did not just help me through when times were tough, but He is there and guided me through the winning moments, even where there was little to no challenge in the victory.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, God is with me. He will never leave me, regardless of the circumstances or where I might be. I need only be content with where I am and what I have as God knows and provides just what I need, in the time I need it.

What view of God’s presence in your life are you aware? Are you finding yourself calling on Him and/or recognizing Him only in those times when you “need” Him? What if you were content in your place and know that God is with you always and will never leave?

“³¹Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” — Ephesians 5:31 (ESV)

I have seen this verse before in my study of “leave” and that was just a few days ago in Genesis. I wrote to “Leave to move forward with another”. I was speaking of pursuing your wife and leaving your family behind to devote yourself to her. Here I am looking at it again and see something else that I thought was of note, becoming one.

This concept of becoming one seems to be counter to a society that speaks to individualism. If I am to become one with another, how is it that I am an individual? I understand the question, and when you look at things from only one perspective, it is something that may be a bit counter. I hold that it is indeed not counter to society in that being one with another is having the same values and approach and understanding as the other, not that you and the other cannot be different.

Lori and I are very different people. She is outgoing and enthusiastic and loves to be in the thick of things. I on the other hand like solitude and quiet. We are however one in that we are headed in the same direction. We decide together on those things that are of importance. We go together as opposed to separately. We support one another in all that we strive to accomplish. We are one.

I encourage Lori to take time for herself and do those things that she wants to do, and she does the same with and for me. I want her to be her and enjoy the things she enjoys. I need that time as well. But, when it comes to our values and direction we are one. Our church home changed, not by one of us, but both. Our drive for our boys and their study and college of choice was of the same accord. Our care for those around us is aligned and we are one in those actions.

I left my family to become one with Lori, and she did the same for me. We press forward as one unit in those areas that are of importance to the two of us. We are still individuals and we would not take that away from either of us as that is what gives us the ability to see things from different angles and adds to the alignment in decision making.

What were the reasons for your leaving with your husband or wife? Are you aligned, or are you clinging to the idea of being an individual? What if you looked to be one with each other and allowed your differences to show the other angle to aid in moving the right direction for the one that is the two of you?

I will admit that there are times when I feel all alone in this world and in my work for God. I feel as though I am fighting the uphill battle each day with little to no guidance or acknowledgment that I am even heading in the right direction.

“¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will beg in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” — John 14:16-19 (ESV)

Jesus left this world, yes, but He did not leave us alone in this world. I have to remember that God provided the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide and direct me. When things are the toughest, the Holy Spirit is there to pick me up and give me the strength to persevere. I may not feel as though I am getting help to make it through, but I do make it through and have to remember that it was the Holy Spirit that gave me just enough. I don’t need reserves to indicated that I had enough to make it, I need just enough and that is was I am provided.

“²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” — John 14:26-27 (ESV)

Jesus left, yes, but He does not leave us here alone. The Holy Spirit was summoned to provide the guidance we need. Providing teaching and strength to persevere through all that comes our way. I have to remember that I am not alone and have the Helper here to do just that, help me in doing the work for God.

Jesus will be back as He says there in verse 18. He did not leave us here and forget about us. He will return and take us home with Him. In the mean time, the Helper, the Holy Spirit is here for me to lean on when I need. Whether in those times of difficulty or even in those times of joy. The Holy Spirit is there for me to guide and comfort me in all that I do. Giving me just enough to make it through and on to the next that God has in store for me.

What do you feel as though you are out there all alone attempting to accomplish? Are you really out there going it alone? What if you stepped back to realize that the Helper is there, provided by God, so that we are not alone, and that Helper is there to provide just enough for us to make it through?

Marriage is for the lifetime. When one marries, that union is meant for the lifetime, “til death do us part”. Oh how great it would be if that were the prevailing sentiment in society. Man leaves his family to be with his wife for the duration of his life and the wife is to devote herself to her husband for that same timeline.

“³And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?’ ⁴He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? ⁶So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” — Matthew 19:3-6 (ESV)

Marriage is a bind for a lifetime and one shall not leave that union. Where love is nothing else can separate. When there is love and compassion and understanding, there is a desire to continue and fight.

I will be the first to admit that not every day is all roses, butterflies, and rainbows with my wife Lori, and I know that she will say the same thing. There are days that we just do not like each other very much. The thing is, those are moments in time and there is no loss of love. Our union was built on Christ and love and those never fail. One moment in time does not trump a lifetime. There has not been a legitimate reason to do away with our love based on a moment in time.

When there is a union between two, that union is for a lifetime and should be honored as such. “Thou shalt not leave” should be the rallying cry for all in a lifetime relationship with another.

When you are looking at your relationship with your spouse, what timeline are you looking at for the relationship? Are you looking at the moments in time? What if you were to approach from the view of lifetime union and took the mantra of “Thou shalt not leave”?

Man was not made to be alone. God created man and woman and made them to be together.

“²²And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ ²⁴Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” — Genesis 2:22-24 (ESV)

God meant for man to “leave” his home and be fully with woman. When I read these verses, I see that man is to be the pursuer of woman. I am to be the one out there looking for her and seeking to care for her and protect her and be there. I am so comforted with the companionship that I have with my wife.

When pursuing Lori, I may have been somewhat distant to my family. I may have been focused on her a bit too much. I may have had my eye on her and only on her. But, as I read, isn’t that the way things should be. I have to leave my family to be with her and create a life for the two and more of us. I am to seek and be in the relationship with her fully and devote myself to her and all that is that relationship. There is and will be time to be with my family knowing that there is another or more that have been added to it. I am to engage and be fully with her and all that is her as we seek a life together.

A number of years ago, we, as a family, moved from our home town to another part of the country and frankly upset our families that we had done so. I felt bad for it in the beginning, but realized that it was what was best for our family of four (me, Lori, Bryson, and Aarron). I/we left to be our own and in that time, we became closer and more alive as a family unit as we were thrust into relying on each other and finding friends to interact with as well. We were able to find a church family and good friends that we loved and they loved us back. We had moved forward, together and it was great.

I have to remember that leaving to be with Lori was God’s plan for my and we are still leaving together everywhere we go.

What relationship have you devoted to that you would move out with them? Are you willing to leave to pursue them? What if you found the one that God had in store for you and struck out with them to create your own life together?

I am sure that we are all aware that there is a decided difference between we and thee. What I am describing is the difference in the classes of people in the world. And I am not just speaking of the US or any other place. There are the elites and there is everyone else. We like to think that everyone is equal (at least we like to use the words to say so). The reality is that there are those that have and those that have not.

We see this just about everywhere. Sporting events, yes, everyone has the equal right to sit or partake in the viewing of the contest from anywhere, but is those elites that can afford or have been “granted” or have “won” the chance to sit close enough. In business, the parking lots are filled with those that conduct the work for the business, yet the closest and/or covered parking is for those with the highest positions in the company.

Now before we get too far into the debate of politics or social justice, I want to be clear that I am only making the above points to draw attention to my study this morning. I am still in the study of the word “liberty” and this morning’s passage in James is about partiality. I read and was reminded this morning that I am to treat everyone with the same liberty, regardless of their station or position.

“¹My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ²For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘Sit down at my feet,’ ⁴have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” — James 2:1-4 (ESV)

I know that I have to be careful when interacting with people to be sure that I am treating everyone with the same equal liberty. In my role as a trainer, everyone in class is my favorite. Everyone has unique talent to make the group stronger. I am called on to bring that talent to light for everyone to benefit. I am responsible to maintain each person’s self-esteem to be sure that they realize their value to the whole.

We are all called on to treat everyone equally. There are those that can “afford” other, more elite things based on the lives they have built for themselves, and I have no argument or animosity toward them or what they have accumulated as a result of the hard work they have done. That, however, is not a basis for treating them differently than those that cannot “afford” the elite things. When the elite things are stripped away, the elites are no different than others.

“¹²So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. ¹³For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” — James 2:12-13 (ESV)

My role is to provide liberty to all I come in contact. I am to treat everyone as equal in the eyes of God. I am to serve as the example of how Christ would act and I know that He would bring all together in the same room and give them all the same seats and speak direct with each and every one of them equally.

What have you seen that are the divides among people? Do you find yourself giving way to those “elites” over others, simply based on their status? What if you treated everyone with the same liberty that Christ would, all are equal?

Each year I choose a word to guide my learning and actions. For 2023 I have chosen the word “act” with the intent that I have heard, accumulated, and learned a lot, now is the time to act on those hearings, accumulations, and learning.

“²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” — James 1:22 (ESV)

This morning I was brought to the book of James for my reading and study of the word “liberty”. This was the first verse in the passage that caught my eye other than the verse related to liberty. I was again enlightened by God to my word choice for the year. I am to be acting on the Word of God and not just simply hearing and keeping it to myself. All others need to see my actions as those speak louder than just the words we use.

“²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” — James 1:23-24 (ESV)

Just knowing the Word of God is not enough, I have to act on it to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience His love for themselves. I have to act with the freedom and liberty that I have been given through my acceptance of Christ as my savior.

“²⁵But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” — James 1:25 (ESV)

I am to act on the liberty and not just know about it. I have to be in the work and working with my liberty as provided by Christ. I am the one who has to show who and what Christ is and not just keep Him to myself and think selfishly that I have something that others do not. I have to work to give everyone the opportunity to have what I have in Christ and experience the love and freedom that comes with that gift from Him.

What liberty and freedoms do you have in your life that you tend to keep to yourself? Are you working to act on and with the liberty provided by Christ? What if you did not keep God’s Word to yourself and demonstrated to all, through your actions, the love and liberty provided by Christ?

This morning as I continue to study the word “liberty” I am led to a passage in 1 Corinthians where Paul is instructing to “Do all to the Glory of God”. He is specifically speaking to eating at someone’s home and partaking in food that may or may not have bee used as a sacrifice. In his letter, Paul had already addressed the eating of sacrificed food in public and that it should not be done for the sake of others.

“²⁷If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?” — 1 Corinthians 10:27-29 (ESV)

Paul indicates here that in the private home, we should be the gracious guest and accept what is given for what it is, and not what it “may” represent. When presented without any description, then there is nothing to discuss. As the receiver, I am just here to partake and not to question the validity of that which is served.

Now when the host announces the origin of the meal and it is contrary to our beliefs, we should abstain so that they are able to see the glory of God in all that we do. My goal is to spread the gospel to all and bring glory to God in the process. When I am accepting of something that I know to be out of bounds, I may cause the host to stumble in the glory of God. I am not to do anything that would cause another to stumble in their faith. As a follower of Christ I live under the New Covenant and have been granted liberty to eat and partake in things that under the old covenant, may have been forbidden.

“⁷However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” — 1 Corinthians 8:7-9 (ESV)

I am not to do anything that may cause another to stumble in their faith. If that means that I should abstain from something that I am not prohibited from partaking to maintain the conscious of another, then that is what I should do. I have to remember that my role is to bring glory to God and spread His Word to all. When I openly cause another to stumble I am not fulfilling my role.

What are you doing that you know to be right that may cause another to question? Are you thinking of only your own rights and liberty and not theirs? What if you thought of others first and their salvation and bringing glory to God instead of holding fast to those things that are allowed that may cause others to stumble in their faith?