We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.
Learn from other people's experiences of God's faithfulness!
Paul shares about the Thessalonians' faith because he knows it'll strengthen the faith of others. In your own spiritual walk you'll face many challenges to your faith; so prepare yourself by reading the experiences of faith of those who've gone before you.
Start with stories of faith in the Bible-it's full of them! David and Goliath, Daniel and his friends, Joseph's attitude toward his suffering, Moses' repeated lessons of faith, Gideon and his 300 men, the disciples with Jesus in the stormy sea. Then read the lives of great Christians like Hudson Taylor, George Muller, Martin Luther, Amy Carmichael, Brother Andrew, and so many more. Learn from the lessons of faith God took them through.
Learn with Elisabeth Elliot that "God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to."
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