Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling.

Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated.

If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified. Every hope or dream of the human mind will be fulfilled if it is noble and of God. But one of the greatest stresses in life is the stress of waiting for God. He brings fulfillment, “because you have kept My command to persevere…” (Revelation3:10).

______________________________________________________________

Journal Entry for Today-JDVFebruary 22, 2016

Good Morning Lord and thank you for this devotional and the opportunity to once again explore the abundant life of surrender, connection and curiosity. Chambers says….”Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us”. However, I find that this does not ring true for me. My greatest fear is NOT that Jesus Christ will be defeated, nor do I fear that what the Lord stood for: love, justice, forgiveness and kindness among men will not win out in the end. My fear has always been that I cannot or will not measure up to Jesus and His character, and that the tools God uses to form Christ in me will prove very difficult and painful.

 

And God says…”Imagine how you feel about your children, and consider the lengths you would go to spare them pain and heartache. And also consider how you might allow them to make their own wrong decisions as an act of love and kindness. You may well allow them to make wrong choices, so that they will learn about the impact of choices in the future. I love you so much that I gave you My only Son, how can I withhold any good thing from you? When I encourage you to stay in your trials…”Do not try to get out of your trials too early, let them have their perfect result”; it is with the hope and plan that you will be strengthened, and made more like Jesus.”

“And to be sure, you neither can nor will ever measure up. But that is not a requirement. The only requirement for perseverance is surrender, connection and curiosity. When you surrender and allow Me to live through you, you can do all things. When you acknowledge Me in all your ways and forget about your strengths and weaknesses, I will make your paths straight. And when you seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, I will provide everything else you require for successful abundant living. Do not worry about “measuring up”; Jesus has done that for you.”

 

Continue to persevere spiritually.