Genesis 1v28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Let that sink in for a bit. In this first chapter of creation God is making the heavens and the earth, the land and the sea, and He decides on the 6th day to make a representative of Himself in man and later woman. The God of all creation made you and I in His powerful likeness.

Let that sink in for a bit.

John 4v13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

It seems in life we are always thirsting for something, success, money, love etc. But the truth that is spoken here by Jesus is that those are all quenched by His living water. We drink this living water by studying His word, seeking Him in prayer, and following His Spirit in faith to yield an overflowing that will allow us to draw hope for others quenching their thirst and bringing them to the well of eternal life that is Christ.

James 1v27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Romans 8v18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Note here that Paul says “the glory that will be revealed in us.” That’s a powerful statement and often easy to pass over. Christ is going to use us in struggle to bring His glory and hope to the world revealing His identity, His spirit in us. Making us less and Him more. His glory through us, not just to us as we wait out the problem. That is the heavenly reward of perseverance in faith and effectively strengthening our testimony to those around us.

Psalm 55v22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

James 1v2 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.

When life gets hard we have to keep perspective on things. God is still in the moments of weakness. The truth is He actually more present than before. As we persevere through faith we grow closer with our God, maturing our testimony for the next battle to come.

Picture us as a snow ball being rolled up a mountain and Christ is the strength pushing us up and over trials to the peak of His glory. Over time the snowball gets bigger and bigger and so Christ’s strength is exuded more and more pushing it up the mountain and it becomes so large that it can’t be ignored. All the while that snowball is being covered by the molding hand prints of Christ effectively becoming a pure representation of His strength.

So take heart for Christ has overcome the world and it’s troubles and with His Spirit strong in us so shall we; to become stronger witnesses to the lost and broken of this world.

James 1v12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.