Enduring to the end.

The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him;
if we endure, we will also reign with Him;
if we deny Him, He also will deny us;
if we are faithless, He remains faithful—

for He cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13

and you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22

To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 1 Corinthians 4:11-13

Where do we get the strength to endure? Who is our Rock? In Whom do we trust? Who establishes our faith? All the truthful real answers come back to … Jesus. Is He your great treasure? Is He your hidden strength? Is He your life? Is your life terminally committed to Christ?

Dealing with the difficulties of this life can be very tough, the challenges and trials are sometimes overwhelming, but we who have Jesus have the One who has overcome. In Him we find our endurance to press on. Farther up and farther in. When faced with a door or challenge that seems insurmountable ask Him for the Key. Ask Him for His strength. Ask Him for His wisdom.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For,

“Yet a little while,
    and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
    and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. Hebrews 10:35-39

Knowing all these things by life experience takes endurance, patience, and faith. Learning to be courageous, and enduring pain all the while looking and focusing on … Jesus … is our lesson in life. Reread Hebrews chapter 12 and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you about Jesus and His role in your life.

Do you pause sometime every day to just to ‘sit with Him’? He is waiting for you to come to Him. He wants to spend time with you. Can you meet with Him in your special secret place? Some talk about the ‘prayer closet’, but actually your mind is that secret place He wants to dwell. Are your thoughts about Him? Does He capture every thought? Are you pausing and refocusing to keep your mind on Christ throughout your day?

Prayer: Holy Spirit come. Come and fill me completely. Infuse me with more of You. Jesus I love you. Holy Spirit teach me Your ways. Father thank you.

Lord Jesus help me endure to the end.