Do you ever feel like you
have exhausted yourself in something and you do not know where to go to get the
strength or endurance to go on? Maybe it was in a 5 k or a want to go on. Whatever it is, was or will be we can always find help for tomorrow and strength to go on; In His Word!
Endure suffering with me,
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3
For the Lord is good; His
mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:5
Sometimes it may seem that
you have had all you can take. All of the injustice of the ‘criminals getting
away with murder’, all you can take of the lazy getting lazier, the annoying
whining getting louder by people who could fix their problems themselves if
they would just think about how to do it; you just can’t take it anymore!
But God can! He can take
on the troubles we face each day. He knows where your next meal will come from,
what class you need to take and who will knock on your door the day you are
praying and arrest you for doing so; but God has it in control!
There may very well come a
time in your country, and maybe that is now, that people will come to the door
to find you breaking the law by praying, or reading the Bible, or sharing it
with someone else. In some nations people have been told to convert from their
own religious followings, some of which are Christians, to the main stream
‘religion’ in a nation or die. This week in the news we have heard of this!
What will you do? Will you
be strong enough to stand up for Jesus? He was strong enough to stand up for
you on Calvary ’s cross!
A brother will betray his
brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel
against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate
you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be
saved. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the
truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel
Matthew 10:21-13
Hardship will come, maybe
its monetary, or emotional or maybe it is physical hardship but each of us has
or will endure some sort of problem before the return of the Lord Jesus.
Enduring does not always mean you have to stand there and take the beating;
sometimes endurance comes with help.
Jesus said, before He left
his disciples totally behind that He would not leave them comfortless, but that
the Comforter would come to help them endure.
This same Comforter, the Holy Spirit, dwells within us as Christians to
help us daily endure the trials and tribulations we must suffer to grow up in
the Lord.
Greater things have yet to
come! We must be full of the spirit, speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord! We
can only get full by feeding on the Word of God as often as we can! We can sing
the songs that are coming out of our hearts when they are full of the Lord’s
thoughts breathed out in the pen and paper, printer
and ink, which we know as
the Bible.
Remember that what comes
out of our mouth is what is in our heart; what is in our heart comes from what
we believe; what we believe comes from the faith, hope, and love we receive
from Christ, through the Holy Spirit.
We gain the Holy Spirit at
our acceptance of Christ Jesus being sent to be our Savior. Once we have
accepted that He died for our Salvation we not only ‘know Jesus’ but we know
the Father and the Holy Spirit that resides with us to keep us and guide us
safely through life.
It is up to us to make the
choice to follow the examples in the Word of God; it is up to us to listen,
study and learn the guidance that will build us up to be strong in Him. When we
have the head knowledge, and we put it to work in our daily lives; sharing,
living, speaking, the Word of God we will find strength to endure today’s
trials.
But only through faith can
we find the endurance to stand strong enough to endure to the end. Jesus made
the way but the way may be long and like a desert dry and difficult; reminding
ourselves with the promises in the Word of God will keep us strong so that we
will not be running on empty for long. Just like the gas tank needs fueling
when it gets to that big E, so we need refueling when we find we are running
low on faith, hope or endurance. Get in the Bible today! Dig in! Get
strong! Then get on your knees and pray!
Get on your Face before the Lord. Press on toward the prize!
This means that God’s holy people must endure
persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in
Jesus. Revelations 14:12
No, dear brothers and
sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the
past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the
race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is
calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you
disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plane to you. Philippians
3:13-15
Dear Heavenly Father, help
us to press on no matter what! Help us to focus our lives on and around You and
Your plans not just what we think is right. Help us to be the generations that
follow after your Truth and receive your Mercy, in Jesus name, amen.
Suggested Reading: Hosea
6:1-11, Psalm 100:1-5, Philippians 3:1-21,Philippians 2:1-30,