(By Dawn Jones)
[Edited (minor)]
Our life on Earth is a life of seasons, a life of changes. Just as some seasons are eagerly awaited and others are less happily anticipated because they are not as pleasant, so some changes life brings are welcome and others are dreaded because they are difficult, harsh and painful.
The thing that keeps us pressing on in the midst of changes, both good and bad, is the belief that God is in full control of His world and that "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time" (Eccl. 3:11a). No matter what may come our way, we have a promise of beauty!
But only God in His eternal wisdom knows how the transformation will unfold and when it will take place. He does His work as we learn to live in obedience and contentment, trusting Him, believing that He will bring us through every season of sorrow and pain into a beautiful reward.
His Word assures us, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps. 30:5). We can count on this. But what are we to do while the night season remains?
The answer is, ENDURE. "For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Heb. 10:36).
"Endurance" is the ability to keep pressing on without growing weary. It is stamina, forbearance, courage, fortitude, durability and ability to stand.
But Biblical endurance is more than just being the last man to stand. Derived from the Greek word "hupomone," which means cheerful endurance or hopeful waiting, biblical endurance speaks to the attitude with which we wait as much as it does to the act of waiting itself. It is more than just making it across the finish line; it is the outlook we maintain while we run the race.
Cheerful endurance is a powerful attitude that says, "God not only CAN change my circumstances; He WILL!" It is a mind-set that is filled with compelling confidence, trust, expectation, optimism and assurance in Christ. Hopeful waiting and cheerful endurance will not allow us to give up our dreams or turn loose of our hope; instead they call us to a deeper level of faith.
So how do we gain such endurance? The answer is not easy to accept. The Bible clearly says that the trying and testing of our faith produces endurance (see James 1:3).
Testing is the weight of choice that God uses to develop our spiritual muscles and internal stamina. When we face a trial that threatens our faith; when we find ourselves in circumstances that are incompatible with what we believe, we are in God's gym. It is then that we have the opportunity to build our endurance.
The resistance we feel can serve us in that moment. If we begin to lift the weight up off ourselves with prayer, singing, meditation and obedient responses, we will bench-press our way into cheerful endurance. The joy that comes from passing a test, knowing that we have honored God in our lives, is incomparable.
But what if we do not respond properly to God's "no pain, no gain" training program? What happens to our endurance if these weights remain upon us? The result of that condition is obvious. Trying to run a race while encumbered with weights would leave us exhausted, depressed and drained. Yet many of us do exactly that and then are perplexed at why our progress is so slow.
Instead, we must rise up in faith, as the apostle Paul admonishes us to do: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb.12:1).
The scripture says that WE are to throw off the weights. We must lay them down; we must rid ourselves of them because they are counterproductive to our endurance.
We are not supposed to tolerate the weight of fear, failure, bitterness or unforgiveness, or the heaviness of Satan's lies. We must press against these weights, lift them off and grow in cheerful endurance!
Is God calling you to joyful endurance? Is He calling you to a new level of faith? Do you need a fresh, dynamic, flourishing and hopeful expectation in God? Have you lost your hope that anything beautiful can come out of your life, your circumstances, your relationships, or your dreams?
Then get to God's gym. There IS hope for a better tomorrow because you have a promise of beauty! Throw off the old weights and start running with endurance.
You'll be amazed at the results!
Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html My Comments: This came the morning after a scheduled cardiac procedure was cancelled indefinitely less than 24 hours before it was scheduled to occur. Did I need patience endurance then? You bet! I struggled for a number of hours through a day of discomfort and exhaustion trying to make sense of the cancellation. I had begun to see good explanations for why I had to have the procedure and what outcomes may be a result of the experience. Having the procedure cancelled due to a equipment failure did not fit with my carefully laid plans! I knew that God is faithful and this detour hadn’t surprised Him, but somehow that didn’t exactly help. Reading this in the afternoon, I submitted again all aspects of my life to the Lord. He has every right and my permission to rearrange my life at any time, in any way, in order to fulfill its influence, for His glory. Do I really believe that? Yes, even though it is still hard, I need to have a joyful endurance of the events that come into my life.