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| Lake Erie, Monroe County |
"Human life is a struggle, isn't it?"
- Job 7:1, The Message
Thomas a Kempis comments on this verse, writing:
"And yet temptations can be useful to us even though they seem to cause us nothing but pain. They are useful because they can make us humble, they can cleanse us, and they can teach us. All of the saints passed through times of temptation and tribulation, and they used them to make progress in the spiritual life. Those who did not deal with temptations successfully fell to the wayside." (The Imitation of Christ)
So how does a Jesus-follower deal with temptations and trials successfully? A Kempis writes: "The key to victory is true humility and patience; in them we overcome the enemy." (Ib.)
This is the way Christ dealt with everything that was thrown at him, and overcame the enemy of our souls. Therefore we who follow after him can choose this kind of loving non-resistance and expect victory to follow.
