January 8th, 2026
Scripture – “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:29
Observation – God is working to conform us to the image of Jesus, this process, of becoming like Jesus, includes suffering.
Application – When Christians are walking around in this world we should be different because the Holy Spirit lives in us. When we endure hardship and persecution in this life we need to cling to God’s promises and the hope we have in Christ’s love for us and his promise of eternal life. We will experience grief and trials in this world but our response shouldn’t be panic but prayer, where does our help come from, our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Prayer – Lord, no one wants to suffer, just the saying the word causes anxiety and hopelessness. We pray for your protection and when disaster strikes we pray for your strength. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 