Keep struggling

Pastor Jeremy Mattek

A few years ago, there was horrible flooding in Louisiana. A man named Josh got in a boat when the waters started rising in order to stay safe. As he made his way through the deep waters of the city, he saw a dog trapped under a bush with its eyes and nose barely above water. When Josh pulled it into the boat, it collapsed from exhaustion.

Now if that dog had stopped struggling in the water, it would’ve meant that it had given up hope. So in that sense, a struggle is a good thing, a sign of hope.

Just like your faith struggles. In Luke 13:24, Jesus said, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” “Make every effort” literally means to “struggle.” Jesus wants and expects you to struggle because your faith struggles mean you have hope that heaven is in the future.

And hope is exactly what we have because Jesus chose to struggle for his life on a cross so that we, who fail in our faith so easily, could be forgiven of all the struggles that make us ashamed to stand in front of him.

When you start to feel down about your struggles, the best way to calm your fears is to shine the spotlight on Jesus, on who he is and what he did. Then you’ll always see yourself as someone God has already chosen to love here on earth and forever in heaven.

That hope will always give you a reason to keep struggling.

Devotion used by permission of Time of Grace®. For more information, visit timeofgrace.org