No matter how positive you try to be, some days are just more difficult than others. The work of Jesus should put our challenges in a healthy and needed perspective.
One of the greatest ways to endure challenges is to ensure you aren’t suffering alone. It is a beautiful gift to be a part of the family of God, but how do we have that opportunity? We can have God as our Father and other believers as our brothers and sisters because Jesus gave His life for us.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
Jesus absorbed the wrath of God so that we need not fear its consequences for our lives. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can indeed come to life (1 Thess. 5:9). We deserved death, but He gave His life as a substitute for us (1 Thess. 5:10). One day, we will be able to live with Him due to this price He paid.
But how do we endure until then? At some point, when we die, or Christ returns, we will experience that reality, but we don’t know how long that will be. As we wait, we must encourage one another (1 Thess. 5:11). We must prioritize regularly building one another up.
Paul said that they were already doing it, he wasn’t scolding them for neglecting it, but he knew they couldn’t slow down either. Our encouragement of each other should be consistent, which implies that we must be around each other. We shouldn’t expect a robust spiritual life if we only give attention to it occasionally.
Some days are just hard, but Jesus’ gift is too real to ignore. The gospel reminds us that whatever we are experiencing isn’t it. That’s the encouragement we need. We often need to get our eyes off the immediate issues and focus on the greater realities.
Are you aware of how Jesus’ sacrifice should change our perspectives? If so, use that as an encouragement to each other.
The gospel isn’t just a reality for our spiritual state, it should create in us the perspective we need to endure the challenges of this life. Some days are just hard, but, thank God, these aren’t the only days ahead of us.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
