Good Morning Friends,
Some of my family were cowboys out West and others were farmers in the Midwest, so when we moved to Collier County in the 1960s, visiting Immokalee didn’t feel entirely foreign to my father. But what he saw there—the human rights challenges facing migrant workers—was deeply troubling. Still it was a different time. Humor and cowboy wisdom could lighten the moment, but they couldn’t solve the problem. That would take time and as one problem was solved another took its place. Some migrant workers chose to become legal residents despite the challenges and others decided to take advantage of the system that looked the other way. Something more was needed, especially for those who would one day be called “dreamers.” They need education and grace. So my dad took a stand when it came to certifying migrant housing. Many didn’t like it, but he knew endurance mattered when the situation seemed impossible. As fate would have it I got a chance to continue the work my father helped to start. That experience leads to today’s question: When life feels unmanageable, how do we endure?
Scripture: James 1:1-11 teaches that trials produce endurance and maturity. Mark 8:11-13 shows Jesus refusing to offer signs to those who will not believe. Luke 16:31 warns that even miracles cannot convince a hardened heart. Romans 5:3-5 tells us that suffering produces endurance, endurance character, and character hope—and that hope does not disappoint because God pours His love into us through the Holy Spirit.
Message: Life often presents us with situations that feel impossible. But scripture invites us to introduce the “Jesus factor”—to let the Holy Spirit transform impossibility into possibility. In Mark 8, Jesus faces hungry crowds, skeptical Pharisees, and confused disciples. Each situation carries its own impossibility, and in each one Jesus is the answer. His sign is always the same: sacrifice, love, and faith. You see, our deepest need is spiritual hunger—met through God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and relationships shaped by Christ’s love. Luke reminds us that faith must be grounded now, not someday. Paul reminds us that God uses hardship to shape us into people who bear fruit for His kingdom.
And So, endurance is not instant. Like the early and latter rains that bring wheat to harvest, spiritual growth takes time—sometimes generations for communities. But we live in a culture that wants everything now. We chase comfort, possessions, and quick solutions. God invites us instead into His school of endurance, where trials become the training ground for character and hope.
Pray we give thanks for the challenges that build resilience. Pray we recognize that only Jesus satisfies our deepest needs. Pray for patience as God works in us. Pray for those who are spiritually hungry or blind. Pray we help others discover God’s Word, God’s character, and God’s power. Pray we rejoice even in suffering. Pray we persevere, develop character, and grow in hope. Pray we resist serving money instead of God. Pray that trials refine us like gold. Pray we abide in Jesus and endure.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 