Promise for Today - Endurance

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that 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 1:2-4 NLT

You know it's easy to serve the Lord when everything is going well. It's easy to be kind. It's easy to be loving. It's easy to be patient in the good times. It's really easy to have great joy when everything's good. Would you agree?

We've talked about it before - there are times I still struggle with considering troubles as opportunities for great joy. I can lose sight of the joy when the mountains of obstacles overwhelm me on every side. That is the test of our faith - the opportunity for our endurance to grow. (Some translations read "patience for endurance".) So, how important is that, anyway, to let our endurance grow?

In Matthew 24:13, Jesus tells us just how important: "But the one who endures to the end will be saved." I don't want to have made it this far only to give up when we're so close to the end, do you? As the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

So let's join with James, and Jesus, and the great cloud of witnesses, and do as Peter says, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while." (1st Peter 1:6 NLT)

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for the opportunities for great joy! Thank You for the faith-building endurance training. Thank You for strengthening us to to be able to endure to the end, just as You have said, so that we will be saved. Let us be found faithful to the end. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Feeling Hopeless

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
Isaiah 40:28-31a NIV

Life is tough. We put up a good fight, looking to the hills whence comes our help. However, sometimes bad things seem to keep hitting until we want someone to call a penalty for piling on. They seem to pile so high that we lose sight of our help. It's in those times that hopelessness creeps in, stealing our peace, our joy, our very strength... but God!

God has given us so many promises regarding His strength for us, His love, His ever-present help in times of trouble. His purpose for our times of trials and suffering. Paul writes in Romans 5:3-5, We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Let us pray for one another as Paul prayed for us in Romans 15:13, 

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name. Amen

There's a Reason

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
Romans 5:3 NLT

How many times have we questioned God with why? Why this is happening - why that is happening - why something's ALWAYS happening... Is there a reason?!?

Does it ever make you doubt God? Is He listening? Does He care? Is He mad? Can't He see what's happening? That's the enemy of our souls trying to get us to blame God rather than trust Him with lies such as,
"If He really loved you, you wouldn't be going through all this."
"He's not listening to you - you've sinned way too much for Him to forgive you."
"Give it up. He doesn't care. If He did, this wouldn't have happened."
"God could have prevented it, but He doesn't really love you."

All lies! Lies, lies and more lies!

Are we in this walk for all of eternity? If so, we need to have some serious endurance. It's easy to be a Christian when life is good. It's another matter altogether when the circumstances of life change from good to bad. However, in the tough times, if we choose to trust God instead of blaming and/or doubting Him, we will develop the endurance we need to make it to the end.

Matthew 24:13 reads, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. That's the reason!

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for Your Word - for its instruction and encouragement and for the answers to life! Help us to recognize its truths and embrace them. Give us strength for each day as You have promised. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Go for the Gold

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:12-13 NLT

Have you ever committed to a competition that required endurance training if there was to be any hope of even finishing, let alone winning? Endurance training is gruesome. You push to your very limit and then push some more. In fact, usually for endurance training, someone else is pushing you because they don't want to hear, "I can't..." And then a month or so into it, you're DOING what you could only hope you could do at the start. And you keep pushing, and keep going, and keep enduring. Why? Because you want what's at the end of the line. You press toward the prize. I know you know where I'm going with this.

James tells us in chapter 1, verses 2&3 NLT, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. If you have known me for very long, you have heard me say, "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger." I believe that. There have been times in my life when it seemed like it would be a whole lot easier to die than to endure. But God would get me through that, and because of the endurance training I received during that trial, I would be able to endure the next, bigger, tougher situation. 

However, I can't say that I've ever been ecstatic or enthusiastic about trials and tribulations. I wasn't looking ahead - I wasn't looking to the hills where my help comes from. I wasn't looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12) Endured! Christ looked PAST the Cross to the joy that was set before Him.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us in 10:35-36, So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.

Just as God for the sake of the Cross looks beyond our frail, human nature so that Jesus can receive us unto Himself, so must we look beyond the trials and tribulations and patiently endure them so that we can continue to do the Father's will no matter what comes our way. It is in the patient endurance that we move into the position to be ready to receive all that He has promised.

C'mon! We're almost there! You can make it! It's not that much longer. Go for the gold - streets of gold!

Prayer:

Father,
            Your Word promises that You are the Lifter of our heads. Hold us up so we can see over this to the promise of eternity with You where there are no more tears. No more pain. No more separation. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

What Kind of Friend?

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have! And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Romans 4:18-19 NLT

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Romans 4:20 - Romans 5:11 NLT

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to be friends who don't let You down. Ones who won't forget all that You've done for us. Friends who hasten to answer when You call. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Patient Endurance

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
James 1:2-3 NLT

If you have known me for very long, you have heard me say, What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. I believe that. There have been times in my life when it seemed like it would be a whole lot easier to die than to endure. But God would get me through, and because of the endurance training I received during that trial, I would be able to be victorious over the next, bigger, tougher situation.

However, I can't say that I've ever been ecstatic or enthusiastic about trials and tribulations. I wasn't looking ahead - I wasn't looking to the hills where my help comes from (Psalm 121). I wasn't looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12) Endured. Christ looked PAST the Cross to the joy that was set before Him.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us in 10:35-36, So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.

Just as God for the sake of the Cross looks beyond our frail, human nature so that Jesus can receive us unto Himself, so must we look beyond the trials and tribulations and patiently endure them so that we can continue to do the Father's will no matter what comes our way. It is in the patient endurance that we receive the Promise. (vs 36b) - THEN you will receive all that he has promised.

Prayer:

Father,
           Your Word promises that You are the Lifter of our heads. Hold us up so we can see over this to the promise of eternity with You where there are no more tears. No more pain. No more separation. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Enduring the Messy Middle

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you WILL bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  [emphasis mine]

Philippians 1:6 ESV

There was an interesting read today about a phenomenon called "the messy middle." According to the author, Ruth Soukup, "It’s the period in the middle of a project where the shiny newness and enthusiasm has worn off, and where the roadblocks and headaches have begun to crop up. It’s the part of the project that just doesn’t feel like very much fun, and where we struggle with feeling completely burned out. And it’s usually the part of the project where you want to quit."

Does any of that ring true for you? It did for me. What struck me was how well that also described some Christians I know, too. When you first accept Christ as your Savior, you may think everything is great and you love everyone and you want all of them to know Jesus and to feel what you're feeling. Then you hit a few bumps on the highway of life, but you shake it off and keep going. Then you have a few wilderness incidents, followed closely by several prayers and petitions that weren't answered the way you thought they should be answered. You might have lost your job, a relationship. Maybe someone died when you fully believed they would be healed. That's "usually the part of the project where you want to quit."

Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:12b-13, ...the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And again, in Mark 13:13. And in James 1, God promises the crown of life to those who endure.

Let me assure you; It's not over. As long as you are drawing breath, IT'S.NOT.OVER! This is just the messy middle; not the end. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you WILL bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

Prayer:

Father,

          We have need of endurance, according to Your Word, so that when we have done Your will, we may receive what is promised. Help us, O God, to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work You have laid before us, no matter what. Keep our eyes fixed on the prize and our hearts focused on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen