God Provides Endurance

"To learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings."  - George Mueller

We endure or persevere  many situations during the course of our lives. I think we can safely that when we reflect back on such circumstances they probably weren't very pleasant. More than likely they are uncertain and exhausting.

For us, these are defining times. And because we can expect to experience difficult occurences at different points in life, we have learned a thing or two from them. They can either make us or break us; strengthen us or destroy us.

The person who has learned to persevere or endure troubling times has learned one powerful secret. This is the hard-earned ability to patiently withstand whatever trouble(s) are tossed our way. Though we may not especially like them, we patiently accept them and any other of life's unavoidable dips in the road.

An unfavorable side-effect of giving in, or surrendering when confronted with negative events, is we become bitter and indignant. By doing so we allow ourselves to be beaten. Thus, instead of endurance we learn to capitulate and joylessly tolerate our predicament; a forced submission.

Is this what Christ desires for you and I? Hardly! As Christians we are called to endure in the face of trial or antagonism. Endurance is praised as a virtue for God's people. Joshua was commissioned by God to pick up where Moses left off. This was not a task for the faint of heart.

God gave Joshua a pep talk in Joshua 1:7. He knew he'd need it for what lie ahead. Similarly, the apostle Paul urged the Galatian believers to hold fast (Galatians 6:9). Additionally, endurance is a distinguishing feature of the true, declared Christian (Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13; Acts 20:24).

Of course, the kind of endurance, which we have been discussing here is "Christian endurance." As pointed out earlier, it involves staying the course and being resolute, or unwavering (1 Corinthians 15:58; Philippians 1:27). But the most important fact to remember is that our Christian endurance is derived from one main source: God (Romans 15:5; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9; Colossians 1:10-11).

The highly influential 19th century preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon, once remarked, "By perseverance the snail reached the Ark." We too, through our faith in God, have the means to meet head-on and endure even the most difficult dilemmas.

An athlete works hard to develop aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed endurance and strength endurance. In the business world businesses work hard to endure the ups and downs they may encounter in order to succeed.

However, Christian endurance is not dependent on physical strength or business acumen. Our endurance comes from the greatest source source of all. Through Him we find all that we need to persevere. And our patient endurance will, in the end, lead to spiritual rewards (Matthew 4:13).

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:20; Deuteronomy 5:32; Joshua 23:8; Job 17:9; Acts 11:23)

Prayer: Dear Lord, I know life can be tough at times, and that we will travel through many hills and valleys during our stay here. But it is comforting to know that You won't leave us without any way to overcome them. You always give us just what we need when we need it. Amen

May God bless you!

Brandi