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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to"); document.writeln("the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it"); document.writeln("all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of"); document.writeln("your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye"); document.writeln("may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. ¹

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Have you ever wished you were more patient? Most of us would"); document.writeln("say yes! But how can you come to have a calm and peaceful heart? And what can"); document.writeln("we do to strengthen this attribute over time?

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Think of patience as a muscle that grows stronger with"); document.writeln("exercise. Difficulties, then, are opportunities to develop it. Our instinct is"); document.writeln("to cry out to God in bewilderment when tribulation comes: we blame, we resist,"); document.writeln("we complain. But instead, we should say, Thank you, Father, it is time to"); document.writeln("become more patient.

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James exhorts us to look to trials as a reason for joy, but"); document.writeln("we often fail to do so. To humans, praising the Lord in the midst of"); document.writeln("tribulation does not seem normal. However, this makes sense when we hold fast"); document.writeln("to the promise that God works for good through hardship (Romans 8:28). We do"); document.writeln("not wait in vain, for we can praise Him for the spiritual fruit He will produce in"); document.writeln("us.

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Accepting hardship as a means of growth is a radical"); document.writeln("concept, but the children of God have reason to rejoice. Tribulation strengthens our"); document.writeln("patience, affirms us in the promises of God, and teaches us to wait for His"); document.writeln("time.

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Suggested Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help me to rejoice"); document.writeln("in You, even in the midst of tribulations. Thank You that the difficult times"); document.writeln("in my life have served to strengthen my patience and I am learning to wait on"); document.writeln("You. Waiting on You will never be a waste of time, because in the waiting, I"); document.writeln("can choose to use that time to strengthen our relationship, grow closer to You,"); document.writeln("and be more intentional about the time I spend alone with You. Thank You in the"); document.writeln("name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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1. "); document.writeln("James 1:1-4 (RVR1960).

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The Encounter for today was written by: Rosina N.

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