Seedbed's Daily Text delivered to your inbox each morning. On Letting Perseverance Finish Its Work LISTEN NOW! November 18, 2021 James 1:2-4 (NIV) 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. CONSIDER THIS Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Finally, today, we come to v.4. And it is the pay-off verse. (as though they aren’t all pay-off, right?)  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. It is so clear isn’t it? Perseverance is not something we are doing. It I something that is being done within us. Perseverance is what Jesus through his Spirit is doing. To persevere is to participate with the Holy Spirit’s work to image us in the image of Jesus. The operative word is let. Oh how we need this kind of holy imagination in the face of a test or trial. Let perseverance finish its work . . .  Can you “let perseverance finish its work?” In the deepest pit of despair can you muster the faith to mouth the words, “Jesus, I belong to you”? This trial is happening to you, but the work of Jesus is happening in you. Don’t fight the trial. Lean into Jesus. This trial can break you down. It can break you up. These are the conditions for Jesus to break in and to break through. And look what happens when perseverance finishes its work: so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. The Bible word is telios. It actually means perfect. It’s not perfect as in flawless and without error but perfect as in flourishing and fullness, and fullness as in the fullness of God. A trial, in the hands of Jesus, becomes the process of becoming empty of all that needed emptying out so that a new and mature and complete fullness could come in its wake.  I sense I am talking to quite a number of people directly today. I sense I am talking to someone in particular who is contemplating ending your life today. We forbid it in Jesus name and break the curse of death over you and call forth the Resurrection Life and Power of Jesus to begin to fill you like a well. (You email me today and we will talk and pray together over the phone jd.walt@seedbed.com.) To the man or woman reading this (when it becomes a book), sitting in a prison cell, thinking all is lost—be assured, perseverance is finishing its work in you. Jesus didn’t want this awful suffering for your life, but he is making you whole and mature and full—yes, perfect—through the suffering. Let perseverance finish its work.  Be encouraged today. From this trial, though it be a testing of your faith, will come deep humility, profound authority, and breathtaking love. It is already happening.  THE PRAYER Father, we especially pray for the one who is thinking of taking their own life today. And we pray for the eyes to see and he ears to hear and the heart to turn to who that may be in our own context—especially the young among us—and love them extravagantly. Lord Jesus, we want to let perseverance finish its work in us. the Bible tells us you were made perfect through what you suffered and you were already perfect so we know you did that for us to show us what it looks like. You are THE ONE who perseveres for the joy set before you and we bless you to persevere in and through us today. Come Holy Spirit and make us mature, complete, and perfect—filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. IN Jesus name, Amen.  THE QUESTION How is perseverance finishing its work in you right about now? How is that going? What does it feel like? How are you understanding and interpreting it?    P.S. AS GOES THE PASTOR SO GOES THE CHURCH. AS GOES THE CHURCH SO GOES THE WORLD.  Friends, this is a Macedonian call. We are saying yes. And I want you to be part of the We. Seedbed is a lay movement. After all, the Church doesn’t have lay people. The Church IS lay people. Our pastors and leaders play a crucial role. This is a moment to invest big love into them. Let’s do this.* Please click on one (or both) options to register interest: I AM AN INTERESTED PASTOR/LEADER (full time or bi-vocational). I WANT TO EXPLORE SPONSORING A PASTOR(S).  *We are hearing from Jesus a long game calling to encourage, build-up, and deeply invest in the Shepherds of the Kingdom—our local church pastors. The global pandemic has challenged us all, but it has uniquely challenged our shepherds. In 2022 we will begin a multi-year campaign to renew the heart and restore the awakening calling of these leaders. For the Awakening, J.D. Walt Sower-in-Chief seedbed.com The post On Letting Perseverance Finish Its Work appeared first on Seedbed. Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2021 Seedbed, All rights reserved. You signed up to receive Daily Text posts via email at dailytext.seedbed.com. Our mailing address is: Seedbed 415 Bridge St. Franklin, TN 37064 Add us to your address book

The following link is to the website Christianbook.com which has discounted everything This product will be released on 10/19/21 40 Days to Awakening: Embracing the Second Half of the Gospel - eBook By J.D. Walt / Zondervan          The following links are to the website Alibris.com which has  new and used books and ebooks Want to buy books by J.D.Walt on Alibris.com?   Want to buy books published by Seedbed Publishing on Alibris.com? The following item is from Walmart Rakuten Kobo and it is an ebook by J.D.Walt   Want to buy ebooks by J.D.Walt on Walmart Rakuten Kobo? J D Walt Renowned Bible scholar, prolific author and worship songwriter, J. D. Walt is the former Chaplain of Asbury Theological Seminary. He now serves as the Chief Sower and ultimate visionary behind Seedbed.com. Seedbed seeks to resource "people, communities, and movements to love the whole world with the whole gospel." Want to buy books by J D Walt on Alibris?  i  Want to buy Books By Dan Wilt On Alibris Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This email was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally