Friday, August 20, 2010

The Blessing of Endurance

The Blessing of Endurance

I started biking again about two months ago. I used to ride quite a bit not really for sport more for recreation. Lately though I have been doing it for exercise. Even though I have worked up to about 10 miles a day I still had yet to tackle “the church.” There is a little church about 3 miles outside of town and the last time I biked there (like 5 years ago) by the time I got there my face was flush, I collapsed into a heap having to suck down water and eat chips to try to control the exhausted shaking, and then I barely made it home! Needless to say I haven’t ventured there on my bike all this time, even though I know I have been biking further than that lately on a regular basis, the memory of the embarrassment and exhaustion has kept me away.

But today…today I did it! I not only biked there and back without needing to stop BUT I did my normal 10 mile route after it (again without needing to stop) it’s something so little but I’m feeling so good about it right now!

Today I realized that I had built up my endurance and because of that was able to overcome that “scary ride”!

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised Hebrews 10:35-36

My ride might seem like small peanuts compared to bigger things in life. But there is a valuable lesson in it. We all have things in life that seem scary because we have tried before and failed. Or we have even failed to try. Or maybe we are in the middle of something that we feel we will never get through! Maybe it’s our child’s “teenage years” or caring for a sick loved one. Maybe we have tried to accomplish a dream that never seems quite attainable or maybe we have been too scared to reach out to try because we are afraid to fail. Maybe it’s simply our faith. The world around us is pressuring us to conform to it and we want to just give in or give up. Whatever challenge we are facing. We need to keep working at it. We need to keep working towards it. Because with the Lords help we can be victorious!

Whatever it is, that has been in your heart. God has been conditioning you to succeed. He wants you to finish the race. He didn’t set you up to fail, God set you up to be victorious! Each day caring for the sick family member can be not only “gotten through” but can be a blessing with the Lord. With the Lord’s help you will be able to do not only survive your child’s teenage years but THRIVE. That dream in your heart. Work towards it. If it’s from the Lord he will help you succeed, if it isn’t he will change YOU and give you an even better dream!

Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything! James 1:3-4

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and loose heart. Hebrews 12: 1-3

Persevere my friends. Continue on with what has been set before you to do. There is a rich reward in store. It might not be a “trophy and fame or glory” it might just be the satisfaction that reached your goal! That in itself is priceless!

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day– 2 Timothy 4:7-8a


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