There are three traits necessary in order to endure: joy, perseverance, and devotion to prayer.
In the midst of difficult times, we must remember that our joy rests in our hope. As we endure temporary struggles, we must focus on the end of all things. We are going to spend eternity with our Savior. For us, the end is the beginning of eternal joy. What is the present brief time of trouble compared to the eternal city of unending fellowship with Him?
Our joy then will empower us to persevere. We will in the midst of the struggle keep on doing what we know pleases Him, knowing that one day we will stand in His presence. The Christian is not a fatalist who merely accepts his plight and resigns himself to the way things are. No, the Christian triumphs over the circumstances by persevering, by faithful obedience no matter what the cost. When the very last thing he wants to happen happens, he steadfastly walks with God by faith.
And he is devoted to prayer. He reaches beyond the present physical world in which he finds himself and goes boldly into the presence of God to obtain the mercy and grace that he needs to persevere. He does not put his trust in his ability to endure but in the power of God to empower him to persevere and endure. He does not believe the lie that he is strong enough to keep being faithful, but rests in the truth that he is weak enough to be made strong by God's abundant grace. He does not stand on his own two feet, but he falls on his own two knees before the throne of grace.
Endurance: "rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer."
In the midst of difficult times, we must remember that our joy rests in our hope. As we endure temporary struggles, we must focus on the end of all things. We are going to spend eternity with our Savior. For us, the end is the beginning of eternal joy. What is the present brief time of trouble compared to the eternal city of unending fellowship with Him?
Our joy then will empower us to persevere. We will in the midst of the struggle keep on doing what we know pleases Him, knowing that one day we will stand in His presence. The Christian is not a fatalist who merely accepts his plight and resigns himself to the way things are. No, the Christian triumphs over the circumstances by persevering, by faithful obedience no matter what the cost. When the very last thing he wants to happen happens, he steadfastly walks with God by faith.
And he is devoted to prayer. He reaches beyond the present physical world in which he finds himself and goes boldly into the presence of God to obtain the mercy and grace that he needs to persevere. He does not put his trust in his ability to endure but in the power of God to empower him to persevere and endure. He does not believe the lie that he is strong enough to keep being faithful, but rests in the truth that he is weak enough to be made strong by God's abundant grace. He does not stand on his own two feet, but he falls on his own two knees before the throne of grace.
Endurance: "rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer."
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