Without Tribulation, There Is No Hope Or Growth.

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

• Have you ever had to endure anything while being a follower of Jesus? If you were to ask me, I would share with you how I have experienced an ugly divorce that I did not want, have had my only child turned against me because of my faith, faced homelessness on multiple occasions, been the center of gossip and slander in church/ministry settings, been in jail and many other things that I 'didn't sign up for'. And yet, I now understand that if I hadn't faced those things, I never would have drawn closer to Jesus or learned about enduring faith.

• There are many out there professing to follow Jesus that want you to believe things like: "He loves you and never allows you to suffer" or "He will remove you before tribulation because He loves you" or "He has promised us a successful and good life on earth". All of these sayings are from the god of this age (1st Peter 5:8/9) and not from God, or from Jesus ("as many as I love I chasten, be zealous therefore and repent"). When you truly repent and come to follow Jesus, it will require suffering (2nd Timothy 3:12), endurance (James 1:2/8) and a faith forged in fire (1st Peter 1:3/9). The hard truth is, if we are not willing to suffer for Jesus, then we will ultimately deny Him at the end (Matthew 24:9/14, Matthew 7:21/23).