We all have heroes. No matter how old we get, there are still people in our minds we elevate, look up to, and try to emulate. Our heroes may be real, living people or they may only be a character from a movie or comic book, but either way, we've elevated something about their lives as something we hope to aspire to. Maybe it's their courage and strength, their cunning and planning. In a similar way, we have, or should have, heroes of the faith, people in scripture that we look to as an example of faith, courage, boldness, and steadiness in the face of obstacles. It's amazing to think that people in the Bible also had heroes of the faith, other people from earlier in the Bible that they looked up to and emulated. We know that King David studied the life of Moses and often mentioned him in his writings. We know that the disciples of Jesus, and even Jesus himself, read about and studied the heroes and prophets of old like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Elijah. But now we also see that James looked to the life of Job, a man who lived thousands of years before him, as an example of patience and perseverance in the face of suffering. In the same way, we look to and read the words of James, he himself looked to and read the words of those who went before him in the faith. This should make us wonder if one day people won't look to our lives as an example to follow.

At the writing of his letter, the early church was facing ongoing persecution and aggressive opposition, but this was nothing new. James reminded his Jewish audience that the overcoming of persecution and obstacles had been around longer than the Hebrew people had even existed. He encouraged them to look to the prophets of old as an example of patience, steadiness, and perseverance in the face of harsh realities. Because of their godly responses, they were seen as honored and blessed. Among these prophets, Jeremiah is one example of someone who endured mistreatment with patience. He was put in the stocks (Jeremiah 20:2), thrown into prison (Jeremiah 32:2), and lowered into a miry dungeon (Jeremiah 28:6). Yet, despite what he faced, Jeremiah persisted in his ministry and always remained faithful to the words God had put in him. Job also endured a terrible ordeal, losing everything he had and facing great pain and suffering. But at the end of it all, God had accomplished something wonderful through Job. Job had become a better and more blessed man than he ever was before. Remember that as good as Job was at the beginning of the book, he was a far better man at the end of it. He was greater in character, more humble, and more blessed than ever before.

Think about the idea of heroes of the faith in your own lives. Are you an example to those who go after you? Are you living an example of wisdom in a world that embraces foolish thinking? Are you being an example of faith under difficult circumstances within a world that pressures you to give up and give in to social pressure? Are you a living example of what trusting God looks like despite living in a culture that presses you to trust in anything but God?