"As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance, and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5:11, NIV.
PERSEVERE
To persevere is to endure a time of trial or test without compromising or giving up. It means to not turn away from the course but to keep moving ahead, and it is to remain constant no matter how big the obstacle or daunting the test.
JOB
The story of Job tells how he was tested and experienced one disaster after another. First, he lost his possessions, next he lost his family, and then his health. His friends came and misunderstood his righteous stand of being faithful to God. After his time of testing, he was rewarded with greater blessing than he had before.
THE LORD
He is not just God the creator of everything he is the Lord, the one who rules and commands all. His word is obeyed by angels and even demons. The test Job went through did as much to show the nature of God as it showed Job's character, and in it, we see God is full of compassion and mercy, not just a little but all of God contains these qualities of his loving goodness.
COMPASSION
God sees our struggles through and he cares, he is understanding and has sympathy for all we are going through. He not only cares but he acts, his compassion is not just a good feeling of love and well-wishing it takes action for our benefit.
MERCY
The Lord has mercy. He gives good to those who cannot obtain it, or even do not deserve it. He is forgiving and kind. He gives aid. We are in his power since he is supreme and he exercises his power for our good.
DON'T GIVE UP
Don't give up on the Lord. If you give up it is not just that the bad situation wins but that we are making a statement that we do not believe the Lord will come through. Do not forget the Lord brought about blessings and good in the life of Job. When we are tempted to give up and turn away from doing right we must remember that our God, the Lord Almighty, is compassionate and merciful toward us.
To Learn more about finding God's mercy in your life read my other blog at this link: Click Here.
(c) Adron Dozat
