In much of my reading and Bible study lately, I have come across the word perseverance. And while it is important, I tend to think of it in context of the verses I am reading and not how it may apply to my life. I mean, I know we need to persevere in the face of trials, temptations, and persecution – to see beyond the valley we find ourselves in, but the Bible is clear that this is not all. We also need to persevere in the face of our daily sin. Our thoughts, words, actions that really show who we are. I think, more often than not, I settle for a “good enough” in my own life. I’m doing okay, I’m doing some good things, I’m better than so and so… This is a dangerous place to be. Lately, I have been struck (more like hammered) by the Bible’s call for perseverance in my daily life. This makes it personal.
God calls us to train ourselves to be godly (1 Timothy 4:7). Paul likens it to exercise and becoming physically fit. Training for a race. We do this by putting aside old patterns and habits and come alive to new, better ones. The Bible calls this killing sin. God calls us to put our sin to death, and this is a hard thing. I mean, we start devotionals, attend worship, join a small group, pray for a bit, but so often we stop short. We train ourselves for a while, but then grow tired of our efforts. Like a gym membership purchased in January and used once or twice.
Yet God calls us to persevere in the battle, to train ourselves thoroughly and completely, to fight for holiness and godliness until we have no more breath. We answer this call only when we, yes – persevere. We cannot do this on our own but need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We also, need the fellowship of other believers to encourage and correct us.
I hope that you will continue to persevere and keep straining toward the prize that is Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Just a thought
Paul