In an era of “love growing cold,” it is easy to feel discouraged, isolated, and fatigued. But consider that in the heavens there is not only a great cloud of witnesses but Jesus Himself watching and cheering on His bride as she lives out her earthly journey. We are not alone, and we will be victorious—if we don’t give up.

In this personal reflection, Nicole Hope shares the story of entering the field as a single woman, meeting her husband, and building a family—while continuing to serve on the field. She and Nathan give operational leadership to FAI RELIEF in northern Iraq, serving the Kurdish people as their neighbors have become friends and family through the glories and grief of life on the field.

There is no merit in just plain suffering. In the Kingdom to come it is said that "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Thankfully, the coming fullness of the kingdom of God has no suffering in it. We have, however, much that can be gained by our willingness to suffer as we minister to the pains of mankind, in general, and specifically Israel, in this age.

Jesus had to set His face like flint to accomplish the destiny God had for Him. Refusing to suffer would have cost Him the victory of His earthly race and His ability to inherit His people—not only to purchase our salvation but the right to lead us as the righteously Suffering Servant. If Jesus had to be determinedly all-in, should I expect an easier path?

God determines where we will be dispatched and what we must speak, and this brings us to the point I wish to highlight most: we can suffer because we may believe, whether it is true or not, that we have labored in vain. Our best efforts may seem to fail. All may seem lost. Yet there is no anguish that we need to stifle in this process. We do not need to be heroic while being obedient. We are not the final judge of whether we have succeeded or failed. We stand or fall on our obedience, not on our success.

Bearing His Name, despite our own imperfections, is our great honor. Our many mistakes are rich fodder to learn the kind heart of God firstly toward ourselves so that we can share that honestly with others. If you are thinking that is too hard a task, know that He has already addressed that handily in this passage: “He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth.” He is up for hard! He will not give up on you or His mission till the ends of the earth are brought under His just rule.

FAI's own Director of Pastoral Care, Board member Martin Mallory, sits us down for fatherly wisdom to combat the voices of fear, shame, and pride—voices that are nearly always in our minds, but have been amplified through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founder & Co-Director of The Malachi Network, Rich Stevenson offers this guest article to FAI Publishing with a beautiful examination of Jesus' restorative walk with Peter. This simple conversation, and Jesus' simple charge to Peter, illuminates the simple obedience to our God and King required of all disciples.

Revelation 21:8 says “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” To many, it is a surprise that the cowardly are listed along with murders, sorcerers, and idol worshipers. What makes cowardice so deadly, and why should we treat it seriously? Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom in the Parable of the Talents offers some surprising insights.