There is No Security from Temptation in This Life!
Brothers & Sisters in Christ, in this life we are never safe, and as long as we live the weapons of the spirit will ever be necessary to us. We dwell among enemies. We are subject to attack from the right and the left. If, therefore, we do not guard ourselves from every quarter with the shield of patience, we will not remain long unscathed.
Moreover, if we do not steadily set our hearts on Jesus, with a firm will to suffer everything for His sake, we will not be able to bear the heat of this battle or to win the crown of the blessed. We ought, therefore, to pass through all these things bravely and to oppose a strong hand to whatever stands in our way. For to him who triumphs heavenly bread is given, while for him who is too lazy to fight there remains much misery.
If we look for rest in this life, how will we attain to everlasting rest? Let us dispose ouselves, then, not for much rest but for great patience. Seek true peace, not on earth but in heaven; not in men or in other creatures but in God alone.
For love of God we should undergo all things cheerfully, all labors and sorrows, temptations and trials, anxieties, weaknesses, necessities, injuries, slanders, rebukes, humiliations, confusions, corrections, and contempt. For these are helps to virtue. These are the trials of Christ’s recruit. These form the heavenly crown. For a little brief labor Jesus will give an everlasting crown, and for passing confusion, glory that is eternal.
God's saints did not always have spiritual consolation. Instead, they had many afflictions, temptations of various kinds, and great desolation. Yet they bore them all patiently. They placed their confidence in God rather than in themselves, knowing that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come.
Wait for the Lord, act bravely, and have courage. Do not lose trust. Do not turn back but devote your body and soul constantly to God’s glory. He will reward us most plentifully. He will be with us in every tribulation.
Brothers & Sisters in Christ, in this life we are never safe, and as long as we live the weapons of the spirit will ever be necessary to us. We dwell among enemies. We are subject to attack from the right and the left. If, therefore, we do not guard ourselves from every quarter with the shield of patience, we will not remain long unscathed.
Moreover, if we do not steadily set our hearts on Jesus, with a firm will to suffer everything for His sake, we will not be able to bear the heat of this battle or to win the crown of the blessed. We ought, therefore, to pass through all these things bravely and to oppose a strong hand to whatever stands in our way. For to him who triumphs heavenly bread is given, while for him who is too lazy to fight there remains much misery.
If we look for rest in this life, how will we attain to everlasting rest? Let us dispose ouselves, then, not for much rest but for great patience. Seek true peace, not on earth but in heaven; not in men or in other creatures but in God alone.
For love of God we should undergo all things cheerfully, all labors and sorrows, temptations and trials, anxieties, weaknesses, necessities, injuries, slanders, rebukes, humiliations, confusions, corrections, and contempt. For these are helps to virtue. These are the trials of Christ’s recruit. These form the heavenly crown. For a little brief labor Jesus will give an everlasting crown, and for passing confusion, glory that is eternal.
God's saints did not always have spiritual consolation. Instead, they had many afflictions, temptations of various kinds, and great desolation. Yet they bore them all patiently. They placed their confidence in God rather than in themselves, knowing that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come.
Wait for the Lord, act bravely, and have courage. Do not lose trust. Do not turn back but devote your body and soul constantly to God’s glory. He will reward us most plentifully. He will be with us in every tribulation.
Last edited:
