December 9
December 9
Because the Christian life is more like a spiritual marathon than a sprint, we all need the grace to persevere.
Luella and I have been married for more than fifty years. It seems impossible that we have been together for this long. We jokingly told our children on our fiftieth anniversary that we were celebrating about thirty good years of marriage. Marriage is not the romantic amusement park that some make it out to be. A lifelong union between two sinners will not be problem free. Sometimes Luella and I are simply not on the same page. Sin (usually mine) interrupts our peace. At times the busy grind of life makes investing in a relationship hard. Because marriage is an extended journey, perseverance is an important marital character quality.
So it is with our relationship with God. Your spiritual life journey between the “already” and the “not yet” is not simply a series of spiritual high points. There are costs, sacrifices, and hardships along the way. There are times when temptation seems to be everywhere. There are moments when God seems distant. There are seasons when doubt creeps in. Meanwhile, the world around you doesn’t encourage your faith. Your love for God is neither understood nor respected by your culture. Yet, you have been blessed with the most important thing in life: a relationship with God. You have been blessed with his constant presence and faithful love. You have been blessed with wisdom that is literally divine. You have been blessed with power for daily living. And you did not have to earn any of these blessings. They are yours because of God’s grace. So here’s the daily Christian life agenda: perseverance under hardship. Consider how the apostle Paul’s words to the Thessalonians can help you on your journey:
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thess. 2:13–17)
Paul captures in two words what it means to persevere as a believer: stand firm.
May God bless each and every one of us with gospel stubbornness. May he create in us a spiritual determination not to be moved, no matter what. Though the night of trial may come, may we still be found standing when the morning sun shines.
God is trustworthy. The gospel is true. You have been chosen. Glory awaits. Stand firm.