Endurance

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

I want to have staying power in my life and ministry to the glory and praise of God. I want to persist and remain faithful even when shadows fall, doubts crowd in, and things just get difficult. I want to be victorious. I want to win. I want to contend, fight, succeed, and overcome, not be overcome. I want to be a reaper for His cause and His kingdom.

Like the Jews of old, I desire that God’s kingdom would reign, that His redemption would flourish, and that His Messiah would provide deliverance (Matthew Henry on the Lord’s Prayer).  I desire to be obedient and do what God would have me to do rather than what I would have me to do.  I will fall short of winning and perseverance if I focus too much or too long on myself and my own whims and wishes rather than on the Father’s will.

God would not have me be mean, petty, small, or greedy when under His power and control, I can be both openhanded and bighearted.  The One who has been so generous with me wants me to be generous with others. The One who has lavished His love upon me through the giving of His Son, calls me to be lavish in my love toward others.

In order to triumph in Christ I must withstand temptations from without (pressures to sin and fail) and temptations from within (my own tendencies toward sin and failure).

 I am still seeking to arrive; in fact, I envision several construction zones yet ahead of me…I am thankful for the example and fidelity of those who have sojourned ahead of me…I am grateful not to walk the path alone.