“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” –James 1:12
Last night, Kristen and I had the opportunity to speak to a Father-Daughter Purity Ball. It was a neat experience, seeing girls from elementary school all the way into college dancing and having a good time with their dads and grandpas. It was also actually the first time that Kristen and I had ever shared together during a speaking engagement. We were brought in to simply share our story of how we met.
It was a really good reminder for us about how our story was not at all how we would have wrote it—it took a lot more time than we ever would have expected. I know for me, it was about 5 years longer than what I wanted before we met, and for Kristen it was . . . well, you can ask her if you want to know! But God’s plan is always best. I wouldn’t say we persevered exactly as we should have, but for the most part, we stuck it out and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. And you know what? It was absolutely worth the wait. As we reflect, we realize that if we would have met 1 month sooner than what we did, we wouldn’t have been ready. It literally took that long until we finally were at peace with who we were in Christ. God knew perfectly what we needed, and when we hung in there, he rewarded us.
Now this passage is not just talking about an earthly reward, as special as they can be. It is speaking of eternal rewards. In this world we will have trials. We will be tempted to give up, to take alternate courses, or to try to make things happen on our own. But when we persevere and trust in God, we will truly experience eternal rewards.
In the midst of your trials, are you keeping an eternal perspective?
Blog Archive
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2008
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May
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- Freedom, Part 2
- Freedom, Part 1
- Mirrors
- Listening and Living
- Ridding or Kidding
- So, what does anger have to do with this?
- Go into all the world and . . . keep your mouth shut!
- Firstfruits
- Celebrating New Life Everyday
- Of Stars and Shadows
- The Path of Temptation
- When the Enemy is Me
- When Trials Become Temptations
- Worth the Wait
- Taking Pride in Poverty
- Steady Living in an Unsteady World
- Blown Out Backs and Thorns in the Flesh
- Perseverance in a World of Instant Gratification
- Identifying with Jesus
- Scattered
- Leadership from the Towel Up
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About Me
- Dustin Fulton
- Dustin has served as the Preaching Minister here at Jeff Street since 2006. Prior to JSCC, he served ministries in Mason City, IL and Hannibal, MO. He is a graduate of both Hannibal-LaGrange College and Lincoln Christian Seminary. Dustin’s office is currently a shrine to the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. Fellow Cubs fans are welcome to come and mourn the 100 years of suffering with him. He has been married to his wife, Kristen, since 2005. She faithfully spends her summer vacations following Dustin in his quest to watch a game at every MLB stadium (17 down, 13 to go!).
1 comment:
Yes. I think I'm on the same page with you Dustin.
This week, in addition to my 68 hours of work, I was also doing some Kingdom work after hours when it would've been easier to sit at home watching the game. But you know what? It felt good--like the good burn during a workout (I must dig deep in my muscular memory to recall that feeling but I'm pretty sure it fits). And yes, that's just on this side of Heaven.
That Purity Ball sounds great. We are blessed to hear you all the time but hearing you and Kristen speak together would've been...what's the word I'm looking for?...I don't wanna say refreshing because your words aren't stagnant but...perhaps "an additional blessing" works.
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