Momentum For Monday, January 20th 2025

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and 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)

Whatever your processes, goals, journeys, or dreams take you, sure enough, you will face hardship. Suffering is absolutely inevitable. But for the Christian believer, even in the hardships, good can come of it.

Suffering produces things. The Greek word for "produce" in the verse essentially means to make something from work or labor. Basically, when we face suffering, a greater work is occurring within us by God.

Suffering never seems good. In fact, we hate every bit of it when it is happening (and for good reason). But God uses suffering to bring about hope in us. Even when we can't understand or see what's occurring, God is at work.

Our struggles are never for nothing. Even in discipline, God is using them for our benefit. Hang tight, there is an active process in your life that will produce a work of hope if you trust God in the process.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

(Hebrews 12:11)