Grit as a virtue of the believer

 There are those who think anything with the slightest sign of grit and hardness   is not for them.  Those who think it should not be for you as a believer; for Christ died for us, taking our suffering and nailing them all to the cross. In today’s believers’ world, this kind of mind set should be resisted and cast out of our lives. Just like life itself does not rely on the soft side of our planet to succeed, but also its rage, for survival, so too do us humans need tough times and happier days too. Any message that tells the believers to be patient, endure and overlook ill will and let go of revenge is the best message ever told. Sad enough, some believers see that as encouraging the devil and giving place to the enemy to operative in our lives. Persecution, is seen as the devil at work and we engage in physical fight if need be .Patience, persecutions, long sufferings, oppression in some cases, maltreatment in others, campaign of calumny, and many other vice are part of the Christian life. And it does not mean God is not with us either, and indeed, it may be a good pointer to the fact that God is with us. A sound doctrine does not deny trials and persecution but, encourage the believer to pray when we notice them. For through them, most times, God is working on our behalf. Right from the Old Testament into the New Testament we never read where God asked us or the disciples to fight these seeming injustices and social mishap with bows and arrows. For how long did the Hebrew suffer oppression in the hands of the Egyptians? 250 years does that mean God was not aware? Not at all .But God will always make things beautiful in his time. Our suffering in any form in the hands of man is seen by God as long as we are believers. No oppression or maltreatment goes unnoticed by Him. I know it is most disheartening if this kind of maltreatment is coming from those who once professed undying love for us. There is no need to call it quit. Encourage yourself with the word of God, looking forward to His visitation on your behalf,  remain steadfast in his word  Joseph is a typical example of this character/ virtue; for  he was hated by his brothers who ought to show him love and direction, eventually, sold by them and landed in Egypt as a slave.  Through hard work, dedication to duty he was able to reveal the virtue that God has place within him. And his master did not fail to notice this; he was not the sad faced man, complaining and telling those who care to listen, how he was sold by his brothers, how he landed here in a foreign land. That we are believers does not automatically stop us from experiencing ups and downs; the devil may often send trials our way to test our faith in God; even our lord was subject to temptation by the devil what makes us think we would not be?  But our victory is also assured us see 1 John 4:4, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. If there was never any battle what then did you overcome? There must be a battle before you overcome. The same battle that others face is same we face, too. The rain that beats against the house of the heretic is same rain that beats against the house of the righteous. See Luke 6:47-49 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. God uses these trying times to establish us,; a tree that must grow tall must first have a deep root otherwise it will fall when there is the slightest wind!  Allow what you go through to build you a strong character. An easy life does not usually bring forth a strong character. An easy life person does not have a moving story to relate to his grand children, no virtue to pass on.

Nevertheless, the yearning for perfect and utopia world is innate in every human. That which God intended when he created man seems to remain a desire that cannot be quenched by the workings of the god of this world. This yearning for perfection is the hope of the believers in Christ and no matter the raging, cruelty of man, we have hope in another world. Hear Apostle Paul echoes it: Romans 12:12, rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

MARANATHA!