Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

James 5: 11

 

Does the sort of endurance that God counts as worthy of His blessing require that life be lived in some form of perfect obedience and complete submission to Him? I hope not, for I take too many side trips and seem to have a continual need to head off in my own direction; thus, there are all of these scrapes and bruises on my body and all of this damage that has been done to the world around me from my poor navigation and stubborn disobedience.

 

Rather, the Lord seems to value, understand, and appreciate the way that we respond to these times of wandering. He is always ready to redirect those errant steps, God provides the map back to righteous ground, and His Spirit helps us understand how to avoid the same poor decisions in the future. Endurance involves recognizing the truth of God’s commitment to me, accepting the Lord’s grace which is expressed in compassion and mercy, and seeking His wisdom in order to live in the center of His will in the future.

 

It seems that endurance also involves taking the gifts that God has given to me by way of His acceptance and love and allowing those attitudes to become the ones that prevail as I interact with others. The Lord does not desire to be the sole source of compassion and mercy in this world; He wants everyone who knows Him; thus, who receives His blessed gifts to relate to others in the same way. As you meet people today, this is a great time to show them the face of God.