Perseverance That Endures

King Sisyphus was a proud, arrogant and deceitful king. Upon his death the Greek gods punished him by sentencing him to roll a large stone up a mountain only to have it roll back down again and again for eternity. This Greek fable can at times describe the life of a Christian. As we navigate through this world, we seem to always be pushing uphill against the stream of a world increasingly hostile towards the truth of God’s word. Wish the stone up the hill only to have it at times roll back down and hit us. The path we have chosen to take is not an easy one. It is a path that will require perseverance.

Psalm 129

“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—

let Israel now say—

2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,

yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 The plowers plowed upon my back;

they made long their furrows.”

4 The LORD is righteous;

he has cut the cords of the wicked.

5 May all who hate Zion

be put to shame and turned backward!

6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,

which withers before it grows up,

7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand

nor the binder of sheaves his arms,

8 nor do those who pass by say,

“The blessing of the LORD be upon you!

We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

This is a ‘slam of perseverance and faith. I have been oppressed from my youth and they have plowed my back, but the Lord has set me free. The history of Israel is one of opposition and oppression countered by perseverance and faith. So is the life of anyone who walks the narrow path that leads to life in Christ Jesus. The Christian life is one that is filled with joy and peace. We can rest in the fulfilled promises of thru past, present blessings in the day, and future assurances of total victory. These truths would bring us joy and peace, but they do not guarantee that we will not have trouble as we journey in this life. There is a point in everyone’s life, where they feel they cannot go on, that they have given their all and there is no more. Of the goal is important enough, if the reward in the end is worth it all, if we intend on reaching the end we must persevere.

We are told by Jesus that the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life and those that find it are few. There is not s person I know including myself that would not prefer the path of least resistance. Have you ever noticed that the more excited you are to get somewhere the longer it seems to take to get there? There are many times as I walked with God where I have often asked “Are we there yet?” The answer has always been not yet preserver for the rewards are well worth the wait.

In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth he describes his life and what he has endured as he worked tirelessly to build God’s kingdom. “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” If we are honest with ourselves if we were put on the same circumstances as Paul many of us would have second thoughts if this path, we have chosen is worth it. Paul did not persevere, because he was in better health than most, because he was braver or strong than most, ot because he was seeking his own glory and fame. Paul persevered because of his enduring faith in the Lord and because he understood that all he did he did for thru glory of God and God would be his strength. In his letter to the Philippians. He says, “Jesus has made me his own. Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul could persevere because he was not a tourist, walking for his own glory, or seeking to belong to some secret society or social group. Paul was a pilgrim he walked with integrity and purpose, his walk was purposeful and intentional in answering the upward call to proclaim the gospel and God’s truth.