Endure to the End
(Matthew
10:22) "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake; but he that
endureth to the end shall be saved."
What
does it mean to endure?...
Since we are called upon to endure certain things in life let's
look at the meaning of the word. Webster's dictionary says it means to
stand, bear, undergo, put up with, tolerate, and hold out.
As Christians we often think that if we have enough faith we
will automatically find a supernatural escape form every problem, sickness, or
trial. By no means am I trying to belittle God's delivering power or hinder
faith for deliverance but at the same time the idea that faith will give us an
automatic escape from everything is simply wrong. God's Word teaches us
that as Christians we must endure some things. Although God could give us
an escape from all difficulty He does not, simply because we need to learn the
blessings of endurance.
As Christians we can move mountains, be healed, and have victory
through faith in God. God's promises to those with faith are many.
Every one of his promises are true; yet the same faith that brings deliverance
also enables us to endure whatever God may assign us. In fairness to
God's Word, we need to consider both deliverance and endurance, so that we will
not despair in our times of trial.
As a
part of God's church we endure persecution...
(2
Timothy 3:12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution.
Jesus Christ came to build a church that the gates of hell would
not be able to prevail against. From the beginning the church has been
the object of persecution. The Apostles, New Testament saints, and saints
of every generation to the present day saints have suffered and still suffer
persecution. However, persecution has not stopped God's great
church. While persecutions have raged, the gospel has spread. Paul
mentioned some of his persecutions and reminded us that those who live godly in
Christ Jesus will suffer the same. May God give us the resilience to stay
true to Him regardless of what life brings.
In
our walk with God we endure affliction...
(2
Timothy 4:5) But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of
an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Affliction covers a wide range of meanings in the Bible, but in
the general sense it means that we face distress, tight places, hardships, and
sufferings. God does not always deliver us from our afflictions, but he
always gives us grace to endure them. Paul encouraged Timothy; a young minister
to endure afflictions. However, Paul's lot in life was filled with
afflictions, infirmities, reproaches, persecutions, and distresses; these he
patiently endured by the grace of God. Job's troubles, sickness, and
circumstances were called afflictions; these he had to endure for some time
before victory came. If affliction becomes our lot, we should never
despair, for God gives grace to endure.
As a
soldier in God's army we endure hardness....
(2
Timothy 2:4) No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this
life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
(2
Timothy 2:3) Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Hardness, in the context of God's Word, means undergoing
hardship that comes upon us because we are Christians. Christians are
soldiers, and the life of a soldier has never been an easy one. Talk to
soldiers in Uncle Sam's army, it is not an easy life. In God's army the
child of God constantly faces battles, trials, and difficulties. Satan
sees to that. Paul encouraged Timothy to endure hardness as a good
soldier. You know we need to ask ourselves when things get hard...
Are we willing to undergo a few hardships and endure if necessary for the
gospel's sake? Not every day of our Christian life will be easy; at
times, we will be called upon to endure hardness as a good soldier!
As
Christians we endure grief...
(1
Peter 2:19-21) For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God
endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be
buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well,
and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even
hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that ye should follow his steps:
This is not referring to grief that we have when a loved one
dies. This scripture is talking about the grief we suffer when accused
wrongfully for doing well. Many times during my walk with God I've been
told I think I'm better than everyone else because I refuse to drink, curse,
watch ugly TV shows or live an ungodly life. Our good and righteous life
can be filled with grief from false accusations, criticism, and rejection by
others. It hurts when loved ones and friends reject us. Sometimes
one will experience grief living in a split household. We may live with
parents, children, or spouses that are not saved. They may have different
beliefs or belong to a different religion. They may reject us and refuse
to join us in worship. This can cause us a huge amount of grief. We
must often endure tears and sorrow in order to identify with Christ.
We
endure temptation...
I
Corinthians 10:13 says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it." Bear means to endure. In
other words so we may be able to "endure it". Even when
deliverance does not come, we can stay saved and walk with God, while carrying
the load of whatever we are called upon to endure.
James
1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love
him.
God has promised us deliverance in times of temptation in order
to be proved. When we endure and do not receive deliverance from
temptation, the bible tells us we are blessed! Temptation falls in two
categories in the Scripture: (1) an enticement to evil and (2) a test or
trial. God never entices us with evil, although He may allow Satan to do
so. There are times when God tests and tries us to prove our dedication
to Him. God tried and proved Abraham by commanding him to offer Isaac as
a sacrifice upon the altar. Abraham was not enticed to do evil; God was
proving Abraham's love for Him. We cannot always evade or avoid times of
temptation, but when they come, we should not feel backslidden just because we
are tempted. Temptation is not a sin; succumbing to it is. If we
endure temptation, victory will be ours!
As a
child of God we must endure chastisement....
Hebrews
12:6-7 says, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as
with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Psalm
13: 5-6 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy
salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with
me.
Because God loves us He chastens us. He chastens us to
keep us from being condemned with the world. No one enjoys or delights in
chastisement, nor is it something we should try to escape through supernatural
means. A brother once told me the story of how he was chastised for being rude
to a certain person and The Lord dealt with him to go apologize and when he did
he was blessed and became that man's friend.
As a child my dad would tell me just before he punished me that
it was going to hurt him just as much as it did me. As a child I did not
understand this, but when I became a parent I realize it does hurt to punish
your children. But, we punish our
children because we love them and it is for their own good. Just as the
bible tells us we too must endure chastisement it is never for our destruction,
but always for our good. We must
remember when God chastises us it is because he loves us!
When
we follow Jesus we bear the cross...
(Matthew
16:24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
(Matthew
10:38) And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy
of me.
Jesus Christ endured the cross and the contradiction of sinners
against Himself. His cross was not joyous; it was the joy set before Him
that helped Him endure it. In order to save us He could not be delivered
from it; therefore, only one thing remained---to endure it. Today we are
called upon to bear a cross also. Jesus laid three demands upon us if we
want to be His disciples. We must deny ourselves, we must take up our
cross daily, and we must follow Him. By the cross we bear we are
crucified to the world and the world to us. Cross bearing will never be
fun or easy; its heaviness and cruelty will remain until the day we lay the
cross down and pick up our crown. May God help us to endure the cross, as
we pick it up daily to walk with him.
We are called with a heavenly calling with many precious
promises, yet there is some enduring to be done. In Ezekiel 22:14 God asked, "Can
thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal
with thee?" Surely we can say yes if our heart is filled with the
love of God.
(2
Corinthians 12:10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am
weak, then am I strong.
When we endure we are made strong!
Mark
4:16-17 says, "And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground;
who, when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it with gladness.
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time; afterward, when
affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word's sake, immediately they are
offended."
Because of a lack of roots, those on stony ground will not be
able to endure. Only the strong, well-grounded, and deep-rooted will
endure. To plow with the gospel plow, to enter the narrow gate, and to
watch our adversary diligently all demand a strong, enduring spirit. I
want to remind us all that through faith and God's help we can endure to the
end!
Written by: Kim Howard
*I was inspired to write this for a friend who at the time was struggling. In loving memory, Renee Davis Smith.
email: kimlovesjesus@icloud.com