ENDURANCE: DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE GIVING UP?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
THE MINUTE CHAIR.
In 1982 the ABC EVENING NEWS told a story about a modern art project that the artist created. It was called the MINUTE CHAIR. The artist took a beautiful chair and at point blank range he attached a loaded shot gun. He attached the loaded shot gun to a timing device. The timing device is set randomly to pull the trigger of the shot gun to be fired sometime in the next one hundred years. The way to correctly view the art work is by sitting in the chair staring down the barrel of the shot gun. The deal is each person has to sit in the chair for one minute before they can get up. It is so amazing people line up and sit in the MINUTE CHAIR to stare down the barrel of the loaded shot gun for ONE MINUTE. They know the gun is loaded and it will go off sometime in the next 100 years.
ARE WE GAMBLING BY TAKING A CHANCE IN THE MINUTE CHAIR? Are our choices taking RISKS? Will our choices have consequences? When will the loaded gun fire?
TEXT:
2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3 (MSG) When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did.
ENDURANCE? FEAR KILLS ENDURANCE. FEAR IS A LIAR AND CAN NEVER TELL THE REAL TRUTH. FEAR is counterproductive. There seems to be a little whisper that tells us we are unworthy and that we CAN’T DO IT. The more you listen to that whisper you may hear: You are not good enough? You are weak? You have failed before? JUST GIVE UP!
*TIRED: The feeling of tiredness and the feeling of being all alone become seeds of discouragement, You began watching other people for what they do or what they do not do.
*ENDURANCE: is the ability to exert and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds or fatigue.
*FATIGUE: extreme tiredness from mental or physical exertion.
*PATIENCE: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
WANT TO PONDER ENDURANCE: I ASKED GOD FOR FINISHED LUMBER AND HE GAVE ME ACORNS? ACORNS? I NEED LUMBER! GOD SAYS THERE IS A MIGHTY OAK IN THAT ACORN! IT IS NOT INSTANT, AND THE OAK TAKES TIME?
EVER HEAR THE WHISPERS NOBODY CARES. TO ACCOMPLISH GOOD WORKS AND GOOD FRUIT YOU MUST HAVE STICK-ABILITY AND APPLY CONTINUOUS EFFORT. FRUIT WILL GROW IN DUE SEASON… DIVINE TIMING.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9 (MOFF) Never let us grow tired of do- ing what is right, for if we do not faint we shall reap our harvest at the opportune season.
Galatians 6:9 (MSG) So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.
Galatians 6:9 (NLT2) So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
REAL LIFE IS MUCH MORE THAN ACHIEVING THE DESTINATION… REAL LIFE IS ABOUT THE JOURNEY!
Have you ever seen a football player get hit so hard that he losses the sight of the goal. Wrong Way… ROY REIGELS… played for University of California Berkley. He played center in the 1929 Rose Bowl. They were playing Georgia Tech. Wrong Way recovered a fumble and ran the ball 69 yards. Georgia Tech won the game. Roy went on to overcome his setbacks and was first team ALL-AMERICAN.
Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Romans 5:3 (NIV) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:3 (NLT2) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
Going through these hard times, these seemingly endless trials, this difficult season will reveal your real attitudes. This problem is not about your problems. THIS PROBLEM IS ABOUT YOUR CHOICES, YOUR ATTITUDES? GIVE UP? WILL YOU GIVE UP OR WILL YOU GROW STRONGER? ENDURANCE CAN CHANGE WHO YOU REALLY ARE!
SOME PEOPLE TAKE OFFENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD… BUT THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH: IF WE FAINT IN ADVERSITY?
Proverbs 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
Proverbs 24:10 (MSG) If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place.
Proverbs 24:10 (NLT2) If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MAN THAT WENT TO AFRICA AND INVESTED ALL HIS MONEY IN GOLD. HE PURCHASED $40,000.00 WORTH OF GOLD AND HAD IT MELTED INTO PURE BARS OF GOLD. THE GOLD BARS WEIGHED SEVERAL HUNDRED POUNDS.
The Cruise ship hit a terrible storm as it crossed back across the ocean. It became very apparent that the ship was going down. The rich man paid a crew member for one of the few life jackets. Then the man went to the captain and demanded his gold. The captain tried to warn the man. He refused to listen.
The rich man doubled the cloth laundry bags and placed a few bars of gold in the each bag. Then the man tied the bags securely to his body and to his life jacket. They hoped for another ship to save them. He waited until the ship was going down and he jumped off the deck into the deep ocean. The man was never seen again. The weight of the gold pulled him down to a sudden death. The next morning another ship was there to rescue every passenger and crew member but one. The man could not lay aside the weight of his wealth. He died a needless death.
Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
IS LIFE A GAME? ARE YOU GAMBLING WITH ETERNITY? What is important to you? The only certain thing I know is UNCERTAINITY. Do we know your purpose? Today we bet with our words and deed what is really important? Agree with the Spirit of God, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
HOPE is a kissing cousin to endurance. The beauty of endurance is to keep your eyes focused on Jesus Christ and His cross. WE MUST QUIT WATCHING PEOPLE? WE MUST QUIT JUDGING OTHERS.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Romans 15:4 (NIV) For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4 (MSG) Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next.
ENDURANCE? FINISH LINE? WHAT IS MAKING US WANT TO THROW IN THE TOWEL?
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13 (NIV) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 (MSG) Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.
CONCLUSION: I HAVE HOPE! I HAVE HOPE FOR THOSE THAT ENDURE! I HAVE HOPE SO MUCH I BELIEVE PEOPLE CAN CHANGE. I BELIEVE IN PEOPLE! Sure people can be mean and have razor blade tongues. BUT WE HAVE HOPE. WE ARE NOT HELPLESS BLIND PEOPLE LEADING BLIND PEOPLE. Did you know PEOPLE CAN FEEL WHAT YOU DON’T SAY? By slowly changing our choices, changing our words, slowly changing our attitudes, by changing how we react. WE CAN! We must quit denying we have problems. We must acknowledge we need to change. If we are going to ENDURE HARDNESS we have to quit denying the truth. WE KNOW WE NEED CHANGE… THE QUESTION IS WILL WE CHANGE OR STAY THE SAME? JESUS BET ON YOU!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I would love to hear from you.
