Patient Endurance

-


Scripture: Hebrews 10:36-39 (NLT)

36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

 

37 “For in just a little while,

the Coming One will come and not delay.

38 And my righteous ones will live by faith.

But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

 

39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.

 

Devotion:

           

            There is no doubt we live in trying times. We are dealing with a pandemic which stubbornly refuses to end, runaway inflation affecting everything from gasoline to groceries, and war in Europe threatening to lead us into World War three. What is a person to do to cope with all the stresses of our lives in the year 2022? The author of Hebrews urges us to have patient endurance in the face of all our trials. How can we endure what seems to be never-ending problems? We wish there were some magic formula that we could use and make everything instantly better. While such a formula might not exist the author of Hebrews has some suggestions that might help.

 

            First, we are directed to the promise of Jesus returning to comfort our souls. The author tells us that Jesus is coming soon. How soon? Well, that we do not know. However, the Holy Spirit is with us even now to help us be patient in our waiting for the return of the promised one. We are instructed to have faith in the return of the Christ. We are warned against turning away. Our hope is in the Lord uplifted by the knowledge that he is perfect, sinless, and faithful to keep his promises.

 

            We are encouraged to be faithful servants of Christ awaiting his return. We are warned that straying from our firm faith in Jesus will lead to terrible consequences. We can count on God to supply us with the endurance we need. God will provide our souls with strength and power to live according to our need.

 

            Back in High School I ran cross country. Our coach was wise and experienced. He knew that we could no more start out our training by running a marathon then we could fly to the mars. We ran shorter distances at first eventually leading up to the point where we could run longer distances without dropping out. So, God will lead us to be able to endure more and more by his loving-kindness. Let us pray that we may overcome the obstacles in our path today.

 

Prayer:

           

            Lord, we thank you for having promised to give us all the endurance we will ever need if we stay close to you. Help us to cling tight to you today. Grant us strength and power to overcome barriers to our thriving through your Holy Spirit. Lead us in the way of obedience to your word every moment of every day. Let our hearts always seek to praise you. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more