May 4, 2016 A NEED TO ENDURE
Hebrews 10:36-7: “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised. For yet in a little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
To have a mind-set of endurance is a calling for every believer. For sure, we face various trials and challenges that will wear us down unless we maintain an attitude of endurance that comes from the strength of the Lord. My experience is that there is always some temptation or some situation that would pull us away from the Lord if we do not endure. In James 1:12 we read: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” As believers, we are not exempt from problems-whether they be in the area of finance, relationship, sickness, death, job related, political-or you name it. No matter what difficulty we face, God has a will for us in that situation. Our focus is to know and then to do God’s will in any given situation. It is freeing for us to realize that we do not have to always know why things happen as they do, but to simply do the will of God. God allows and God uses the things that come our way in life. (It is true that we can bring on some unpleasant circumstances by making wrong choices-but even so, God can use it for His ultimate good-and our good as well.) We are not called to endure just for the sake of enduring; but there is a great reward for those who endure. When we do the will of God in times of difficulty-when we endure- we will receive all the promises of God. The idea of enduring is tied to His coming back-“in a little while”. Endurance is also tied too faith. If we have faith-if we believe He is coming back soon-then we have every reason to endure. Because He is coming back, doing His will now is paramount. If there is one clear teaching in scripture, it is that God is pleased when He sees His people living in faith. It is also interesting to know that God has a soul, and God finds no pleasure in those who “shrink back”-those who do not endure to the end. God is not some distant being somewhere “out there”; but a living God who cares for His own, who has a soul, who is loving, who reveals His heart to us, and who is coming back to redeem those who have faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
So, no matter how difficult the situation you face may be and when things are not as you hoped for; continue enduring so that you may receive the blessings of God that come to those who endure to the end. Let your faith be the determining factor in how you live-how you respond to the events in life.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Hebrews 10:36-7: “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised. For yet in a little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
To have a mind-set of endurance is a calling for every believer. For sure, we face various trials and challenges that will wear us down unless we maintain an attitude of endurance that comes from the strength of the Lord. My experience is that there is always some temptation or some situation that would pull us away from the Lord if we do not endure. In James 1:12 we read: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” As believers, we are not exempt from problems-whether they be in the area of finance, relationship, sickness, death, job related, political-or you name it. No matter what difficulty we face, God has a will for us in that situation. Our focus is to know and then to do God’s will in any given situation. It is freeing for us to realize that we do not have to always know why things happen as they do, but to simply do the will of God. God allows and God uses the things that come our way in life. (It is true that we can bring on some unpleasant circumstances by making wrong choices-but even so, God can use it for His ultimate good-and our good as well.) We are not called to endure just for the sake of enduring; but there is a great reward for those who endure. When we do the will of God in times of difficulty-when we endure- we will receive all the promises of God. The idea of enduring is tied to His coming back-“in a little while”. Endurance is also tied too faith. If we have faith-if we believe He is coming back soon-then we have every reason to endure. Because He is coming back, doing His will now is paramount. If there is one clear teaching in scripture, it is that God is pleased when He sees His people living in faith. It is also interesting to know that God has a soul, and God finds no pleasure in those who “shrink back”-those who do not endure to the end. God is not some distant being somewhere “out there”; but a living God who cares for His own, who has a soul, who is loving, who reveals His heart to us, and who is coming back to redeem those who have faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
So, no matter how difficult the situation you face may be and when things are not as you hoped for; continue enduring so that you may receive the blessings of God that come to those who endure to the end. Let your faith be the determining factor in how you live-how you respond to the events in life.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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