You Don’t Always Need Sunshine to Grow

[You Don’t Always Need Sunshine to Grow]( Current Teaching Series [God's Amazing Promises]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [You Don’t Always Need Sunshine to Grow]( By Rick Warren — 01/10/2024 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:3-4 (NLT) It’s possible to grow during times of bright, fair weather—but you put down deeper roots during the dark days of life. As a pastor, I heard from countless people who said they had grown more through separation, illness, job loss, or tragedy than they would have otherwise. They recognized how God had used difficulty to draw them closer to him and mature them. The Bible says it this way: “When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:3-4 NLT). When you let God into your problems and don’t push him out, then you’ll develop endurance that will make you ready for anything—strong in character, full and complete. Pain is the high cost of growth. The old cliché is true: There is no gain without pain. We want the quick solution and the easy fix. We want the pill or the seminar or the book that’s going to change everything without pain. We want the product that brings maturity without the painful process. But that isn’t going to happen! Theologian J. I. Packer said, “God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with all the other inflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. It deepens our dependence upon Christ for strength each day. And the weaker we feel, the harder we lean, and the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually.” The very thing that’s discouraging you right now is the very thing God is using to develop you right now. How was David able to write such beautiful and powerful psalms? Because through all the loneliness, neglect, and injustice he went through as a young shepherd and even as a king, David knew God was with him the whole time. David wrote his most beautiful words in his deepest pain. There will be growth in the painful parts of life that you will not gain any other way. The process will not make you perfect, but it will move you toward being more like Christ. And if you’ll trust God to keep you and walk with you in your pain, he will develop endurance in you and give you his peace and rest. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Do you believe you have a choice in your spiritual growth? Why or why not? - What is one way you have become more like Jesus through a painful experience? - Why is it important to develop endurance? The post [You Don’t Always Need Sunshine to Grow]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the Created to Dream Journal when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( If you've ever felt that you're made for something more, if you've ever had a dream that seemed just out of reach, we've got the perfect resource for you! Journey with Pastor Rick through the brand-new Created to Dream Journal and unlock your God-given purpose as you strengthen your faith, stretch your imagination, and expand your horizon. The Created to Dream Journal includes Scripture passages, excerpts from the Created to Dream book, journaling prompts, and thought-provoking activities. 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