Persevering

Another milestone on the adventure!  (Thank you, Lord.)  Yesterday, Sherril took me to our church’s Saturday evening service – my first time since surgery three and a half months ago.  I’m very grateful for this progress.  But an even greater reason to be thankful was the privilege to join together with like-minded people in worshiping the one true God and hearing the Word of truth preached without reservation.

Uncanny (Or was it?), how the message I was hearing seemed to be intended especially for me... Ever been there?  “Persevere under trials and afflictions!”  I thought, “Isn’t that what I have been doing for the past few months?”  But is there a difference between enduring and persevering?  I think so, and I have probably done a lot more enduring than persevering.  Not that enduring is inferior; it’s just that persevering implies moving ahead, while enduring is more about standing firm.

If we, who say we believe in Jesus, do not have a clear goal for our lives, we cannot persevere in the faith.  Since persevering implies moving forward, we must have a destination if forward is to have any real meaning.  Having just been brought back from the very brink of eternity, I have been given the goal to reach out to people in my sphere of influence with an urgent message to be sure of their salvation in Jesus, warning them of the horrors of hell, of which I have gained new insight.  In sharing this message I must persevere.

When we come to the end of this life, whether sooner or later, what will all our accomplishments be worth to us if we are not prepared to enter eternity?

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  - Mark 8:36