Canadian imam Younus Kathrada‚ in his February 26 and March 1‚ 2024 Friday sermons at Dar Al-Ihsan Islamic Center in Victoria‚ BC‚ called Jews “Less than nothing‚ they are vermin‚ they are Nazi terrorists who should be annihilated.” 

You have the power to choose how you will live life every day. You have the choice to engage with God‚ read his Word‚ spend time in his presence‚ and allow him to mold and shape you.

Although we may wrestle with why God has allowed certain things to take place‚ He offers Himself as a refuge. He is not scared or unprepared for your questions‚ tears‚ or anger. His hands are strong enough to hold us when we are falling apart.

Moments of discouragement are inevitable‚ but there are things you can do to combat discouragement!

In his best-selling book Atomic Habits‚ James Clear tells the story of a friend who lost over 100 pounds through diet and exercise. Clear’s friend began with a goal of going to the gym for five minutes daily. (He even set a timer and faithfully left the gym each day after five minutes.) By making his goal achievable and repeatable‚ he became someone who went to the gym every day. Once this practice became a habit and lifestyle‚ he began tweaking it over time (for example‚ he started exercising for longer than five minutes). Eventually‚ his exercise and diet habits led to transformation. Like physical transformation‚ spiritual transformation is the gradual reward of consistent habits. Even when you don’t immediately feel the effects of your Bible intake‚ you can be confident your spiritual fitness improves little by little each time you engage with God’s Word. Consider four ways Bible intake parallels diet and exercise habits and why even our smallest efforts matter. 1. The first two minutes are the most important. Clear notes the heaviest weight in the gym is the front door. The same is true of most habits: it’s not the habit itself‚ but starting the habit‚ that stops most people. Clear encourages readers to replicate his friend’s minimalist approach to habit-building‚ even starting with two-minute routines (rather than five minutes) to make starting and replicating behaviors simple. (He calls this the 2-Minute Rule.) If you don’t already have a rhythm of Bible reading‚ commit to reading for two minutes every day. Make daily reading as achievable as possible. By doing this consistently‚ you’ll become someone who reads the Bible every day. That’s a huge step. From there‚ you can tweak the habit as you wish. Clear observes‚ “A habit must be established before it can be improved.” You cannot improve what you don’t already practice. 2. The most rewarding outcomes are (almost always) delayed. Clear notes that our outcomes are a “lagging measure of [our] habits.” We’re who we are today largely because of the habits we’ve built over the past few weeks‚ months‚ and years. It’s not what we’ve done most recently but most consistently that shapes us. One workout or protein-rich meal won’t drastically strengthen your bones. Yet a consistent exercise routine and calcium‚ vitamin D‚ and protein intake over months and years will improve bone health significantly. Likewise‚ spiritual health is a lagging measure of what we train and feed on consistently. Bible reading isn’t only for the here and now but also for how it forms us over time. Beyond the cumulative benefit of Bible reading‚ you’ll be surprised at how often God blesses you (and others through you) a few days or weeks after you read a certain passage. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a section of Scripture and closed my Bible without thinking much of it. But then a few days later‚ I was in a conversation or situation where that passage was exactly what I needed. We must never measure effectiveness by what we think or feel immediately after reading. 3. Feelings aren’t (always) an accurate measure of effectiveness. You won’t feel your brain‚ heart‚ liver‚ kidneys‚ and skin strengthening as you eat healthy meals—nor will you always have happy emotions while consuming nutrient-dense foods. (Perhaps you even remember uncomfortable feelings while eating veggies as a child . . . or as an adult!) Spiritual health is a lagging measure of what we train and feed on consistently. Bible reading isn’t only for the here and now but also for how it forms us over time. A lack of immediate pleasure doesn’t mean the meal failed to provide vital nourishment. It’d be silly and dangerous to give up on healthy eating if you didn’t feel happier or stronger as or right after you ate. (It’d also be silly and dangerous to consume only foods that give rushes of pleasure while you eat them.) The same is true of Scripture reading. We shouldn’t measure success entirely by whether or not we feel pleasure as we read. Not every Scripture passage should cause even the healthiest Christian to feel surface-level happiness. For example‚ some texts are intended to make readers hate sin or grieve the world’s brokenness. “But‚” you say‚ “what if I feel nothing when reading the Bible? No pleasure‚ no hatred‚ no grief—nothing?” Remember two truths: First‚ apathy is a feeling too. And God wants us to come to him and worship him with whatever we feel. Second‚ not all disciplines (physical or spiritual) are primarily meant to make you feel something but rather become something. Don’t chase after a feeling; chase after nearness to Christ‚ which will‚ in turn‚ make you into the person God created you to be. 4. Memory isn’t (always) essential for growth. I once heard a pastor say‚ “You probably don’t remember what you ate for dinner one month ago today‚ but that doesn’t mean the meal was pointless. Your body functions today because of meals you ate months ago‚ whether or not you remember them.” Some meals are special‚ becoming memories we cherish for months‚ years‚ or even a lifetime. (My first time having Chick-fil-A nuggets comes to mind.) But memory isn’t required for a meal to have benefits. Most meals bring some pleasure then quietly nourish your body‚ content never to be remembered. Healthy people are formed by countless mundane‚ even unmemorable‚ meals. Similarly‚ some times spent in God’s Word are special. Christ speaks to us or meets us in a uniquely powerful way‚ becoming a memory we cherish for months‚ years‚ or even a lifetime. But not all times in God’s Word are consciously remembered for long periods. Many times spent in God’s Word are like water soaking into the roots of a plant. The water may no longer be visible‚ but it nourishes and strengthens the plant nonetheless. We should pray for joyful encounters with Christ through his Word and make efforts to remember what we read. But don’t get discouraged or think you’re doing something wrong if you don’t always have remarkable feelings or conscious memories about every passage. The Lord is pleased every time you seek him through his Word‚ and he’ll always bless your efforts‚ even when the blessing isn’t immediately visible (see Isa. 55:10–11). Variety—like Consistency—Is Your Friend Just as we enjoy different workouts and meals in different locations with different people‚ Bible intake is most enjoyable when it contains variety. Blessing comes every time we consume God’s Word—whether through reading the Bible; listening to an audio Bible; praying or singing the Psalms; studying a passage with a friend or small group; hearing God’s Word preached on Sundays; reading books that exposit Scripture; or listening to podcasts‚ lectures‚ or audiobooks that exposit it. Don’t limit yourself to only one method. James Clear notes that we become our habits. This is (largely) true both physically and spiritually. Let’s patiently and diligently pursue a consistent intake of God’s life-giving Word‚ trusting he’ll use our habits to reveal and form Christ in us.

In the midst of suffering‚ we often want to know the reason for our trial. Sometimes our most painful suffering is directly caused by our sin (1 Cor. 11:30–32). But often it isn’t (John 9:3; 2 Cor. 12:8–9). So how do we know if our suffering should be met (1) with patient endurance or (2) with immediate repentance? Two Categories Both categories are true. God sends some suffering for us to evaluate our lives (Heb. 12:6). And God sends some suffering for us to magnify God as we endure it in faith and patience (John 9:3). So how do we know which pain has come into our lives? “God may make it plain. He may. But he may not.” Normally‚ these categories are “permeable” and “overlapping.” So we should respond to all our suffering with self-evaluation and patient hope. James calls us to meet all the various trials of life with “all joy” so those trials can build “steadfastness” in us (James 1:2–4). And “he doesn’t distinguish whether they are coming in response to specific sins we’ve committed or not. What he says is that in every kind of trial—every kind—faith is being tested. And the aim in every trial is a kind of steadfastness that shows that God is trustworthy‚ and wise‚ and good‚ and valuable‚ and all-sufficient for our situation.” Whether or not we can tell that a certain sin has caused our suffering‚ we respond the same way: “Let every trial have its sanctifying effect of killing sin‚ and furthering faith‚ and furthering patience‚ and furthering love. If the sin is known‚ kill it. If it is unknown‚ ask the Lord to protect you‚ to cleanse you from hidden faults‚ and to advance your capacities for faith and patience” (Pss. 19:12; 139:23–24). Note that Job’s suffering began when he was a blameless man (Job 1:1). But over time‚ they stirred up in him “the sediment of remaining sinfulness‚” which he repented of later (42:5–6). “Whether the suffering in our lives is chastisement for some specific sin‚ or whether the suffering is an opportunity to glorify God through faith and patience—in both cases‚ we’re going to discover remnants of sinfulness in our lives‚ which we should repent of and move beyond. Which is why I said there’s always room for self-evaluation.” So when suffering hits‚ evaluate and endure. Don’t ignore it or fear it as a sign of God’s condemnation—both those responses are wrong (Rom. 8:16–17). Whether or not we can tell that a certain sin has caused our suffering‚ we respond the same way. When suffering hits‚ evaluate and endure. In reckoning with the pain inflicted on Job’s life‚ we must be aware of his sin. And our own. All of us are worthy of God’s judgment as “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). So anything and everything we are given that’s not judgment is “undeserved.” Every breath we take‚ any moment we don’t suffer—it’s all “undeserved” grace to sinners. Aware of this‚ we can be assured that “no injustice from God is ever done to any human. On the earth‚ everyone is treated by God better than we deserve—everyone.” When it comes to the justice of the global flood‚ “until we feel the depth and horror of sin like this‚ much of the Bible will simply make no sense to us at all.” Global tragedies remind us of the horror of sin against God. Redemption Matters Redemption doesn’t end our suffering in this life. Christians suffer (1 Thess. 3:3; 2 Thess. 1:5). But we suffer in the comfort that our pains are “in the hands of our all-wise‚ all-powerful‚ all-good Father.” Not in the hands of Satan‚ fate‚ or a god who’s self-amused by our pain. Every sting in life is appointed and managed by a loving Father toward our final good (Rom. 8:28). So we can draw comfort from the fact that (1) God appoints our pain‚ (2) for our ultimate good‚ (3) to advance his wise purposes. Through it all‚ he will hold us fast. On this topic‚ redemption matters. Never confuse judgment and discipline. Between them is “an infinite difference.” God judges his enemies—the “misery” he brings on those without “any purifying or restoring or rehabilitating purposes‚ but solely to express his holy justice‚ his retribution‚” not restitution (Rev. 16:5–6). This is made especially clear in his coming eternal judgment (19:1–3). But God disciplines his children—a stark contrast. Discipline is “not retribution” for God’s enemies; it’s reserved for the sons “he loves and means to improve‚ even though it involves God’s displeasure‚” all to our final good‚ “that we may share God’s holiness as loved children” (see Heb. 12:5–11). Purifying Discipline The sobering truth is that “many of the painful things in the Christian’s life are owing to our own sins: some that we committed before we were Christians‚ and some that we have committed since we have been Christians.” Our sin can even warrant physical death (1 Cor. 11:30). Every sting in life is appointed and managed by a loving Father toward our final good. In such extreme situations‚ this discipline prevents something worse (vv. 31–32). It’s “a stunning example of God’s disciplinary judgment that goes so far as to bring about the death of his child. And that death is the disciplinary effect of sin in the child’s life because it keeps him from going to hell.” So “there is an infinite and precious difference between God’s retributive justice in punishment and God’s purifying discipline in our pain. And that difference does not lie in the origin—the human origin—of the pain‚ whether good or evil. It lies in the purpose and the design of God in our suffering.”

H-Town is on absolute fire here in free agency

Well ... this is incredibly awkward