Great endurance, produces great reward!
Hebrews 10:35,36 NKJ
35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
Illus.
Several years ago, an experiment on endurance was conducted at the University of California at Berkeley. The experiment involved placing Norwegian field rats in a tub of water, where they were forced to swim until they grew exhausted and finally drowned.
During the first experiment, the researchers discovered that on the average, these rats were capable of swimming for over seven hours before drowning.
A second experiment was conducted, exactly like the first but with one exception.This time, when a rat was getting too exhausted to swim any longer, the researchers would remove the rat from the tub of water for a few seconds, then put the rat back into the water to continue swimming.
These rats were able to swim for almost 20 hours before perishing.The researchers concluded that the rats in the second group were able to swim so much longer than the first group because of one factor: they had HOPE.
They had experienced a rescue---and what kept them going was the HOPE that they would be rescued again.
Edited from More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice.
Copyright 1995 by Youth Specialties, Inc.
Hope combined with faith increases the endurance level needed to produce the desired change or outcome. Anything less leads to defeat and mediocrity and God hasn’t called any of His Children to live a mediocre life.
Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, but to cause it.
When is the last time that you did something positive and significant for the kingdom that caused a change in your own life? When is the last time you did something positive and significant for the Kingdom that caused change in someone else’s life?
Far to many are running their spiritual race in life without the confidence required to sprint across the finish line! Far too many, say as long as I make it to the finish line that’s all that’s required.
Illus. by Charlie Roberts
Reminds me of the old story of the farmer who rode his mule to town. And just as he got to the edge of town the mule decided he wasn’t going any further. So then the farmer begin to tug and pull trying to get his mule to finish the journey. The farmer begin to plead and promise, anything to coerce the mule to complete the journey. The mule was content with where he was, and no one or no thing was going to change his mind until he was ready!
As we all get older, that “as long as I make it to the finish line of thinking” gets more tempting to adapt and declare in our lives each day that passes by. The old cliché “the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be”
Gets more relatable with each ache and pain of the day.
I like Toby Keith’s attitude in the lyrics he wrote, “ I ain’t as good as I once was, but I am as good once as I’ve ever been!” I think that’s what Paul meant when He said to run the race with endurance, no matter how things may look, feel or seem!
Isaiah 40:31 NKJ
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Who are those? We are those, we are they! As we wait, have faith and endure doing work for our Lord, we’re the ones who shall renew our strength,
we’re the ones who shall mount up and or sore with the eagles,
we’re the ones where right here in black and white says, “ we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and not faint!
When things are going good and life continues to fall in place on a consistent basis, trusting God is easy and our endurance level seems easy too. When challenges arise and things look like they may start, or they do start falling apart.
Trusting God, along with our enduring attitude should still be at the for front, the very first thing we should do in every situation no matter what happens!
Here's why;
As long as we trust God, God is responsible for everything associated with everything!
There is no detail that is not covered when you trust God. That's right completely trusting God, encompasses everything that's associated with your life and makes God responsible for the results His word declares and not you!
Choosing to not trust Him, when you lean to your abilities and understanding. Makes you the only one in charge of the results! And I would ask you the same thing I've asked myself on occasion. How's that ever worked out for you?
Proverbs 3:5-6New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
The question is on who's path do you want to endure the walk on, yours or Gods?
I can tell you Gods path and Gods way of thinking is amazingly more easy to endure than the path of self effort!
Romans 8:31-39 MSG.
31-39. So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?
And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us— who was raised to life for us! —is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.
Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture!
Sometimes, Life can certainly be and sometimes life is unfair!
Did you know that the accuser NEVER plays fair?
he will use anything he can to steal from you,
to destroy you and those around you..
all to keep you from enduring and enjoying the journey to your destiny!
This might seem like a silly question, but did you know or have you somehow forgotten that you have a destiny?
There are two paths, one leads to your reward and the other leads to disasters. Both paths a person chooses to follow has a destiny tied to it, eternal life or eternal death!
As long as God is directing your path and leading the way, you have a great destiny. Its a great plan that God has laid out and planned for you to walk in!
God’s plan is to prosper, to enrich and bless you each and every day of the journey your whole life long through out eternity, if you choose to trust Him!
Will there be distractions along the way? Yes, the accuser is very sly and clever, he will attack from every angle!
The accuser knows for some all it takes to remove the wind out of their sail of endurance, is a little bit of good ole fashion condemnation. The mere reminder of something God’s Grace has already completely and permanently forgiven!
If were not careful, anything can become a focal and dwelling point with us and one thing we don’t need to be is distracted or looking behind. Looking behind takes our eyes off the prize, looking behind will never be identified as endurance.
We need to look towards the future, our best days are ahead of us not behind us!
Gods Grace and mercy assures us that every day is a chance to start over!
James 1:2-4 MSG
2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
Illus. By Michael Cassara
After spending 3 ½ hours enduring the long lines, rude clerks and insane regulations at the Department of Motor Vehicles, a man stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for his son. He brought his selection, a baseball bat to the cash register. "Cash or charge" the clerk asked. "Cash" the man snapped. Then apologizing for his rudeness he explained, "I’ve spent the afternoon and the motor vehicle bureau." The clerk sweetly asked, "Shall I gift wrap the bat or are you going back there?"
Sometimes life’s situations tempt us to want to go back there and correct all the wrongs that have been done to us.
All of us have had things done to us that should not have taken place. And I want you to know that God knows about each and every incident and has never forgotten one time what took place against you!
We have to be confident in the words and the promises God gave us. To not let them become old cliches and simply spiritual lingo, as to when we hear them we lose sight of the power and significance they hold, have and give us, as we endure our race!
When God instructed the words to be written, “all things work together for them to love the Lord” He meant them!
And if you’re going through something you can count on the fact and the promise that God is using it, turning it around for your good and going to bring out a blessing from this adversity far beyond your imagination will allow you to comprehend!
Illus. from Wikipedia
I’m reminded of the story of a man born in the late 1800s. One of several children being the oldest, took care of the younger children and began to cook for them at a young age of seven yrs old.
His father died when he was young leaving him even more responsibility. He worked many jobs in his life, as I read his story I counted maybe 20 different jobs and careers he pursued throughout his life.
He became a ferry boat captain, a railroad conductor, a lawyer, a tire salesman, a gas station operator, even became a restauranteur for a while and served in the US Army.
Known for a man to have a temper and to have it flare up-quite often with those who did not agree with him, made chances for the success he longed for seem unattainable. Thus explains, all the different jobs he had.
After his failed attempt of having his own restaurant, he went into the business of instructing other people how to prepare and cook their food his way and that would make his name Colonial Harland Sanders and his brand Kentucky Fried Chicken, household names forever.
11 herbs and spices and after 73 years of endurance later, he sold his company in 1964 for millions of dollars.
The gift of endurance is an amazing gift of the Spirit that God gave to us. To be able to run our race and still have the optimism, hope and faith that no matter how things look or might turn out...they will turn out! And With Gods help, they will turn out for the absolute best!
Just like Colonel Sanders, you may have had a lot of adversity and things happen in your life. God would have me tell you, your best is still yet to come. Triumphs are within earshot and waiting ahead to amaze you!
Life may seem like a jigsaw puzzle right now with all the pieces in disarray. But God is putting them together and creating a beautiful picture and future for you that you cannot even imagine!
He will walk with you, run with you, have faith with you, even be there when you cry patiently collecting the tears and most important endure through the fire with you, all the way to the destiny He has had prepared and waiting on you even before you were you!
