Is There Purpose in Suffering?

July 21, 2026

Why do bad things happen to Christians? Couldn’t God step in and spare His children from all suffering?  Is there a reason behind our suffering?

Yes, God could shield us from every trial, but He doesn’t. As we go about our lives we fall into the trials that are common to all people. But as the people of God, we need to realize that there is a wonderful, divine purpose behind those trials.  What is that purpose?

In the opening sentences of James, we read: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4 NASB95).

Notice what God is trying to do in us. He is trying to bring us to perfection and completion— that we would be spiritually mature and full-grown. How can we ever reach such a state? One might say it is through study, prayer, self-control and other spiritual disciplines. These are certainly key ingredients of spiritual growth, but there is another necessary ingredient. Trials.

Do you see the connection? Various trials test our faith. Testing of faith produces endurance (if we pass the test). Endurance then leads to spiritual maturity and fullness. But it starts with trials! The trials we go through are working something wonderful in us! This is why James can tell us to rejoice when we face them.

And if this is true, then we can look at adversity in a way that no one else in the world can. We face the same types of problems in life as everyone else, but as followers of Christ, we can see trials as a reason to rejoice rather than despair. We can see opportunity rather than hopelessness. Yes, we will struggle. Yes, we will feel sadness and disappointment at times. But in the end, we can trust that our loving Father is working something beautiful within us.

The trials of life will certainly come. May God help us to face them joyfully, knowing His divine purpose. 

—Scott Colvin  

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Posted by Scott Colvin

The Cure for Spiritual Stagnation

July 17, 2026

Have you ever felt spiritually stagnant? Like you weren’t growing in your faith as you should be? Like you’re just going through the motions?

In 2 Peter chapter 1 we see a list of qualities that should be present in the lives of Christians. These qualities build upon one another and might be thought of as stair steps of spiritual growth. The apostle Peter writes, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7 NASB95).If we will make every effort to supply these qualities in our faith, we will grow spiritually. Think of the beautiful places God will take us if we will supply these things!

These qualities should be present in our lives and increasing. As Peter continues, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8). Can you look back on your life over the past few years and say that you have been growing in knowledge?  In self-control?  Have you been growing in love?

And if the honest answer to that question is “No,” we must ask ourselves why we are not growing as we ought. What is the root cause? One might say it is because of a lack of diligence. That is a good and honest answer. But then the question becomes, why do I lack diligence? Why am I not putting forth the effort to supply these things?

The answer is in Peter’s next statement. “For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:9). If we lack these qualities, it means we have forgotten something. We have forgotten the cross. We have forgotten what our Lord Jesus has done for us. We have forgotten how God in the flesh became the man of sorrows. How He was mocked and spat upon and beaten. How He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross. Why? So that we could be cleansed from sin, so that we could be made right in the eyes of God, and so that we would no longer be slaves of sin. If we become nearsighted and forget these precious truths, our diligence will wane and our growth will stall. But if we remember what Christ has done, our love for Him will propel us into a greater diligence.

May God help us to not lose sight of our purification from our former sins. And may God help us to ever be growing into His divine nature.

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Posted by Scott Colvin

God as Your Teacher

May 20, 2025

In Psalm 25, David makes a plea to God, asking Him to be his teacher.  “Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.” (Psalm 25:4–5 NASB95) Have you ever asked God to be your teacher?  I’m convinced that God will be pleased to hear this prayer from us and to answer it.  But who is it that the Lord will teach? 

God will teach those who wait for Him.  To wait on God is to rely on Him.  It is to set your hope on Him and expect that He will answer you.  God is looking at us to see if we trust Him and Him alone.  He is pleased to help those who wait on Him.

Who will God teach?  It is the one who is humble. “He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.” (Psalm 25:9, NASB95) In order to be taught, we must be teachable.  This is the essence of humility—being teachable.  The humble person does not think too highly of themselves or their own knowledge, and therefore they are ready and willing to receive wisdom from God.  If we begin to believe that we have arrived or that we already know everything, we should not expect to receive any additional insight from God.  But God is pleased to teach the humble in His way.

Who will God teach?  It is the one who fears Him.  “Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.” (Psalm 25:12 NASB95) The person who fears the Lord stands in awe of who He is.  They recognize His power, His wisdom, and His holiness.  The one who fears the Lord will be diligent to stay away from the path of sin because they have a healthy dread of displeasing Him.  The one who fears the Lord opens the word of God and trembles at what he reads.  It is this person that God will instruct in the way he should choose. 

Have you asked God to be your teacher?  Think of the wonderful blessings that will be ours if God Himself teaches us His paths and makes us to know His ways.  Let us ask God to teach us and let us also prepare our hearts to receive His teaching.

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

Growth in the New Year

January 1, 2025

My hope and prayer for all of you, and for myself, is that we will grow spiritually in the new year.  I pray that you will pursue spiritual growth with renewed focus and vigor, resulting in a rich, intimate communion with the Lord.  Spiritual growth is something that must be pursued—it doesn’t just happen on its own.  I want to encourage you to pursue an intentional program of growth in the year ahead. 

What might this look like?  First of all, we need to dedicate ourselves to being in the word of God.  Reading the Bible is not just reading any other book; it is actively taking in words of life that flow from the very mouth of God.  The word of God will change us!  It will transform us from the inside out, if we will allow it.  The word of God will bring light to our path and life to our souls.  I encourage you to begin (or begin again) a plan of reading and reflecting upon the word of God in your daily life in 2025.

Second, I encourage you to heed the words of the apostle Peter, who showed us how to grow.  “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence…” (2 Peter 1:5a NASB95) With this statement Peter begins what is sometimes called the ladder of spiritual growth.  It is a list of qualities all Christians should pursue.  Each quality builds on the previous one and leads us to growth.  But notice where the process begins.  It all starts with making every effort to supply moral excellence.  What is moral excellence?  It is an uncommon, excellent, virtuous character.  Moral excellence is doing what is right and good in every situation.  It is choosing to do what is right even in the “little things.” It is choosing to do what is right even when no one is watching.  If we commit ourselves to moral excellence, we will grow, but if we don’t, growth will be stopped in its tracks.  I encourage you to decide that in 2025 you will pursue what is excellent with all your heart.

Think of where the Lord will take us in the new year if we will seek Him and stay near to Him!  The future is very bright, no matter what challenges lie ahead.  May God grant that each of us will grow in our faith in 2025.   

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

The Road to Spiritual Maturity

March 29, 2022

One of the great tragedies in life is for one to claim a longstanding relationship with Christ and yet be very immature spiritually.  This is something that should not be.  It is comparable to a baby who fails to thrive.  When a baby doesn’t grow physically, we know that something is very wrong.  In the same way, if we examine our own lives and see that we have not grown spiritually, we should be very alarmed.  Something is very wrong.  Sometimes Christians go through life with the same fleshly attitudes and behaviors that we had before we came into Jesus.  Very little changes.  Little to no fruit is produced.  Christ seems to have little impact.  On the other hand, we all know brothers and sisters in the Lord who have changed completely since meeting Jesus.  They grow and bear fruit and are a blessing to those around them.  The question is, why do some go on to maturity and some do not?

If we are going to mature in the Lord, we must be feeding on the word of God.  Just as a baby will not grow without milk, so a Christian will not grow without feeding upon the word.  Peter writes, “…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation…” (1 Peter 2:2, NASB) If you and I are not feeding on the word, there will be no growth.

If we are going to mature in the Lord, we must be practicing righteousness.  There will be no growth if we only talk about the things of the Lord but do not practice them.  As we see in Hebrews chapter five, “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14, NASB) Practice brings the ability to discern good and evil, and this is a mark of spiritual maturity.

Finally, if we are going to mature in the Lord, we must take opportunities to grow through trials.  Those who are mature have allowed the Lord to mold and shape them in the fires of suffering.  As James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4, NASB) Trials, if endured with a God-centered, joyful attitude, will lead us to be perfect (mature), and complete. 

Let us examine our own lives and, with God’s help, press on to greater spiritual maturity.

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Posted by Scott Colvin