There are many words that have a similar connotation and we call them synonyms. An example, of it are ‘perseverance’ and ‘endurance’. Synonyms are particularly helpful because they help us to convey the right meaning and not be redundant in our communication. The bible contains many such words that can be used interchangeably. In addition to the two words mentioned above, you have ‘patience’ and ‘long suffering’ or ‘faithfulness’. If you have ever read the bible, then these words will not be unfamiliar to you. The concept of waiting and enduring is very common in the bible. Maybe that is why agricultural terms are frequently used in the bible to convey the message of waiting and being patient. Indeed, in his book, James tells us to “see how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rain. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” (James 5:7-8). Waiting, being patient, persevering and enduring are certainly words that make us cringe in this day and age because to exude characters that stem from such words takes hard work and is not fun. These words can only be lived in difficult situations, situations that require you to do what is not the norm but is right. Many of those situations are not pleasant ones. The fact that the bible calls us to do what is right versus what is the norm shows me that the bible is not oblivious to the reality of life, it knows circumstances can be tough but it calls you to display the fruits of the Spirit in spite of your circumstances. For today’s post, I would like to draw us back to what the bible calls us to emulate when it comes to perseverance, endurance, patience and the like.
In our twenty first century world, it has become more and more difficult to see patience, perseverance and faithfulness. In the workforce, you rarely find employees who stick to the same job for many years. The same phenomenon is observed with business owners or entrepreneurs, many companies are built but are not sustainable and within the first year they have closed down. Reasons are many, but I believe the bottom line is that nobody is ready to endure and persevere through the hardships. We are a generation of quick wins without perseverance. The Merriam-Webster defines perseverance as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition: the action or condition or an instance of persevering: steadfastness”. Someone that perseveres is someone that sticks, it is someone who waits, it is someone who is steadfast. In the secular world, business men and women that are successful often go back to this idea of not giving up because persevering through difficulties gave them the victories they have. I often marvel at the aggressiveness with which such men and women tackle life, giving themselves no rest and limiting distractions in their lives because they have a goal to reach. This makes me wonder why Christians are not able to face life with the same vigor and aggressiveness their contemporaries do. Why is it that we who have the life of Christ in us are the least in displaying some of these godly character traits that we are called to emulate? One reason I believe is because we are not being renewed in our minds with the word of God but rather are being transformed to the pattern of this world which in this context is to want to do everything quickly and get your results now.
The life of a Christian by default is a life of patient endurance because we live in a world that we have been redeemed of and no longer belong to. Indeed, our sins have been forgiven by Jesus Christ our messiah but it is only when he returns in the earth that we will see the fruition of his work and our new world. We are called to wait and to persevere until the Lord’s return. When Jesus was on the earth, he certainly persevered as he was setting his eyes to go to Jerusalem to be killed. Despite knowing what hardships awaited him, he still went more determined than before (see Luke 9:51). This shocked me this week as I learnt how set on dying Jesus was because accomplishing the will of the Father was his priority. Even in the pain Jesus endured; he could have said “enough is enough”, he could have decided not to take any more lashes, he could have decided to not take on more scorn, he could have even stopped pleading with the Father “to let this cup pass him by” but he was resolute and added instead “yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). If Jesus, who was in his right to not suffer endured hardships who am I to give up on the life he died to give me? Two of the greatest attributes of God in my opinion are His patience and His faithfulness. These attributes are not easy to emulate and I believe that is what the Lord works in each one of His children. He is patient with us so that we too will learn to be patient. The beauty in this is that our patience is not in vain, there is something concrete we get: whether a reward, a gift or a promise fulfilled. When I think of prophecies in the bible, their fulfilment represent the pinnacle of perseverance. The prophecy of the Messiah coming to earth took centuries before coming to pass. Meanwhile, generations upon generations of men and women had to keep holding on to the word, they had to persevere until their deathbed because they knew there was a fulfilment that was coming. Indeed, many prophets encourage them to keep believing and trusting the Lord. Habbakuk puts it beautifully, “…though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (Habbakuk 2:3). With many similar words, we are encouraged as Christians to not give up and to continue to persevere because the Lord is coming.
This principle certainly can be applied to other aspects of our lives, not just the Lord’s coming. Indeed, to be like Christ, we must be patient, we must show faithfulness in our dealings, we must be ready to take the slow road because that is the road the Father takes with us. There is not a single story of God dealing quickly with His people. In the case of Abraham, it took centuries upon centuries before he was turned into a great nation according to God and Abraham did not even see the full picture, just a snippet of it yet he believed God at His words. How about David who being an anointed king endured scorn and shame for more than a decade before taking his rightful place as King of Israel? And what about Paul, who endured the pain of the “thorn in his flesh” because God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is always easier to give up, to abandon and to not be steadfast but today, I want to encourage you to keep pursuing the Lord with your life. Will you fail? Yes. Will it be tough? Yes. The journey will probably be one with many ups and downs but if you persevere, you will attain the goal. As Christians we are privileged because we are not alone, God Himself walks with us through His Spirit. When we are down, He picks us up; when we are defeated, He brings us to the place where we can stand another fight until we win. In Christ, we are more than conquerors so there is nothing in this life that should wear us down to the point of wanting to give up.
My prayer for you today is what Paul and Timothy prayed for the Colossians asking “God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” (Colossians 1:9). And the reason? “we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:10-12, italics mine). Like Paul, I want you to prosper in every way, to tackle this life with your head held high and to continue to grow in a way that shows Christ to the world. It is not just a prayer for you but a prayer for myself. May we be Christians who love the things of the Lord even if it means we have to wait, to endure or suffer. Amen.
A Word Aptly Spoken 