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He can do it all, in the twinkling of an eye. It is how one day, the rapture is going to be! God does it too, by giving you His word, as a seed, to be planted in your heart, that goes on to bear fruit, fruit that will last. And godly blessings come in godly ways. May the prayer of David therefore, as we continue to meditate upon it, speak into your heart, for He is the God whose eye is upon you to guide you, Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; May Your good Holy Spirit lead me on level ground [Psalm 143:10].
And being led forward, is all about Christ in you, and working through you. For, as the apostle Paul has made it very clear in his letter to the Romans, it is He has died for you, and has risen again for you, and therefore you are no longer under condemnation in Him, Christ Jesus. And, who can stop you, when it is He who is leading you forward? The outworking of it It begins with your innermost being, where in faith and a good conscience, washed by His Blood, and filled with the word of God, you can have a good heart that commends you. It’s attributes would be – a. being attentive to His word, b. to accept it with the intention to obey, c. as it acknowledges the truth with understanding.
And it is by standing firm in the word that He speaks to you, in your situation, and holding fast to it in your conviction, by your confession of it in the words of your mouth, with a diligent determination in you that remains focused, and wholeheartedly upon it that you bear fruit. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it, and bear fruit with patience [Luke 8:15]. Patience is a vital ingredient in the process, patience that also involves perseverance; for patience is what needs to be your attitude towards people, with perseverance being the quality that you display towards God, in the fulfillment of His word that comes to you, that you may listen, to obey, in order to bear fruit.
And for it to happen, one needs to have the understanding that the patience prescribed here is not something passive, but is an attitude and an action. There is action involved in it, and it is where it combines with perseverance. For perseverance is about a determined mind that finds delight in action, to hold fast and persist in it until a change comes, in His word coming to pass. It is about something gloriously deeper and more special than being patient in the general sense. It is about…
Patience of Christ :
Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ [2 Thessalonians 3:5]. God is concerned more about the eternal aspects of life, than merely the external. Thus, even as you desire something good, maybe a house of your own, and you are praying about it, you could be then concentrating on the external nature of it. And though it is not wrong to do so, as time goes on, and you wait for it without getting impatient, God is developing, or building in you the fruit of the Spirit that is patience. He does so, because He is interested in a transformation of your character, in order to become more and more like His Son. For, the higher truth is that you are the house that He Himself desires to live in. Therefore, He takes time, as He works on you on the inside. Life in God’s perspective, is a long distance run, and not a sprint. It requires therefore, the quality of endurance, that is also patience and perseverance.
Endurance comes in you, with an understanding of God’s word, as you are led towards the endurance of Christ Himself. It is something that only He can bring about. And, He is with you, holding you in the firm grip of His hand, never to leave you or forsake you, in order to accomplish it. He is not watching your progress from afar. It is why, as the psalmist does, you too can affirm the personal presence of the Shepherd who is with you, and confidently say, ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me’[Psalm 23:4]. The process by which He leads you towards perseverance is by His word, which comes to you as a seed, that you plant in your heart, and He causes it to grow, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in you.
Perseverance & endurance from Christ :
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures might have hope [Romans 15:4]. Perseverance develops in you by the encouragement of scriptures, as you are instructed, and inspired by it. Every page has been written so that on reading it in faith, you may find inspiration even in these intimidating circumstances, and move forward with courage. For, you being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have run the race of faith before you, is the confidence building assurance that it gives you [Hebrews 12:1]. And as the apostle Peter writes, you need not be surprised that something strange is happening in your life, as you go through tough challenges, for there are many others who are facing similar trials in their lives [1 Peter 4:12].
And, in the words of the apostle Paul, comes the encouraging truth that you will not be tested beyond what you can bear [1 Corinthians 10:13]. The words of the psalmist, are so often what you and I can identify with, to find consolation and comfort, in times of turmoil and trouble. Moreover, the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews, as it narrates the manner in which men and women in the Old Testament, went through trials, not giving up on their faith in God, serve as inspiring and encouraging testimonies which show that you can press on even in difficult circumstances by being filled with the perseverance and endurance of Christ Himself.
Encouragement through the word :
And with many other words he [Peter] testified and exhorted them saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation’ [Acts 2:40]. The new believers needed the encouragement of the words of God spoken by Peter, to hold on to the gospel message that had cut them to their hearts on that day, making them repent of their sins, and accept Lord Jesus, whom they had crucified, as their Savior. And encouragement could be the need of the hour in your life today, in a world that is being torn asunder by a ravaging virus. The promise of God that you received could appear to be an impossibility, because of the problems surrounding you, and a good word, but a bad situation could be how you would describe it. It is the plight of millions this day all over the world. But you have a solution, an antidote that will lift you up.
And when you feel discouraged, all you need to do is to turn to the word of God, return to it again and again, meditate upon it continually to know the good way, that will bring rest in your soul, even in times such as these. For you will know through the word of God that the righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord will stand with him to deliver him. It is not a bed of roses that is the Lord’s promise, but His presence, and the truth that He has overcome it all. It was with the word of God that the apostles encouraged another group of new believers, Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God’ [Acts 14:22].
Real encouragement and strength in a time of trouble can truly come, only through the word of God. And as you wade through stormy waters, you will indeed find that it alone, works powerfully and effectively, as God takes you by the hand to lead you to the endurance of Christ. It also brings to the fore, a deeper dimension of the truth that is vitally relevant, and sorely needed in the bruised world around you that is living in fear and terror right now. You can make the difference; your words matter!
Encouraged to encourage! :
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful; And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works [Hebrews 10:23,24]. In the unforeseen circumstances of today, gathering together as a church family, could be a virtual adoration and worship of the Living Lord. But your primary encouragement comes through His word that is an integral part of it. You and I serve an omnipotent God who is still getting His message across, that we may be strengthened with real encouragement. It bestows on you a special responsibility, of reaching out to the vulnerable, with encouragement that only the God breathed scriptures can give. And the Sovereign Lord Himself will guide you, as He gives you the tongue of the learned, and His word to sustain the weary [Isaiah 50:4]. Remaining self focused, and wallowing in self pity, is not the path of righteousness that He has prepared for you.
A good example of it is what is written about how Jonathan came to strengthen David in the Lord, through a prophetic word concerning him that was encouraging in the midst of his highly discouraging circumstance, though he was the anointed of the Lord, chosen by Him to succeed Saul, as the king of Israel [1 Samuel 23:16]. And the ultimate discouragement, would be the pain of bereavement that comes at the loss of a loved one. But you can strengthen and encourage the hurting one, even in such a time with the truth of God’s word. It is what the holy scripture makes very clear [ 2 Thessalonians 4:18]. And it is a truth that can come alive through the words of your mouth as you encourage someone to build them up in perseverance and endurance in their walk of faith.
The aspect of joy :
And joy would be what distinguishes the patience that is of Christ. It is being, Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power for all patience and long suffering with joy [Colossians 1:11]. The power to persevere comes from Him, for whom nothing is impossible, and you can do all things in His strength. Depending on your own strength can try your patience, as the idiom goes, but not when you are leaning on God’s strength. And ‘I have learned to be content…’ is how the apostle Paul describes it. God Himself becomes your strength, to take your hand and lead you to be filled with the perseverance of Christ. You are enriched in everything by Him [1 Corinthians 1:5]. And it is why, as Paul testifies in his letter to the Philippians, you can pray with joy, and persevere with joy, Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ [Philippians 1:6].
The Lord having begun the work of imparting perseverance in you, is now developing it, so that He may bring it to a flourishing finish. And the strength to endure comes in you by the understanding of this truth, as you co-operate with Him in obedience with joy. He is not the God who despises the day of small beginnings [Zechariah 4:10]. For, He is the Cornerstone and the Capstone, the Alpha and Omega. He is the Ebenezer, who has led you thus far, and will do so till the very end. For, He is Emmanuel, the God who is with you. He is El-Shaddai, the Almighty, All powerful, Living God, and you can face tomorrow joyfully, for your times are in His hands.
Encouragement – the attitude of Christ in you :
May the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be like minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus [Romans 5:5]. The God who gives perseverance and encouragement, grants in you the attitude of His Son Christ Jesus, for having received Christ as your Savior, you too are His child.
And, how does it evolve in you?
It is by fixing your eyes on the author and perfecter of your faith, Lord Jesus, who has been tempted, in every way , and has been through every suffering to be able to help you today. You have a sympathetic High Priest, who endured the Cross, for the joy set before Him. He endured and He overcame. And it is the very same perseverance of Christ that has been made available to you, so that you, may have the power to persevere and pursue. For consider Him who endured such humility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls [Hebrews 12:3]. Look to Him, the Lord Jesus Christ therefore, that you may not get discouraged, for as He is, so are you, even in this world [1 John 4:7].
You too can endure and overcome in the power of the Holy Spirit, and by doing what is good, which is holding fast to the word of God, confessing and meditating upon it, and continuing in the call of God upon your life [Galatians 6:7]. As it is written in the scriptures- See, how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the former and the latter rain [James 5:7]. At the right time God will open the storehouse of His bounty, to give you rain in it’s season that blesses you with a righteous harvest, that you may lend and not borrow. And though this may be a time of intense trouble and huge challenges, you can joyfully persevere, for it is the perseverance of Christ that is now working in you, to see you endure and overcome, even as He did.
Therefore, as you give thanks unto the Father, in humble adoration, for His word that energizes,empowers, and gives a divine perspective, may you know that you can lean on His unlimited strength, His grace, in order to be led forward to enjoy the power to pursue, by the perseverance of Christ that is in you. May it see you endure and overcome, for greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world. And may the seed, that is the word of promise to you, that has been planted in your heart, take root, to flourish and bear fruit, for the glory and honor of His Name.
In the Name of Christ Jesus – Amen.
