Reading 5 – Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Perseverance
By D. Francis, Sri Lanka / India / USA
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, 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” Hebrews 12:1(KJV)
As the children of God and we live with great hope to reach our Father’s home. In this journey of life, we face many troubles and tribulations which are common to all humanity, while others are unique to the children of God. Many struggle with internal conflicts while others try to combat fears. Our lives are knitted with targets, goals, and dreams, mingled with fears, doubts, and disappointments. All these negative aspects affect our spiritual journey and growth. In Hebrews 6:19, we read, “ Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul…” The Christian journey is a combination of faith and hope. Our life is not merely a short sprint or short distance race, but it is a long-distance marathon. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” (1 Corinthians 9:24, KJV). We need to be steadfast and run this race with a lot of perseverance and patience though we face many setbacks on the way.
Perseverance – defined
“The verb persevere comes from the Latin root persevereus, which means “continue steadfastly, persist,” and that word comes from two others, per- for “very” and severus for “strict.” (https://www.vocabulary. com).
The word “perseverance” is not commonly used in the Bible, but instead, it has many synonyms.The Meriam Webster Dictionary defines perseverance as the “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition”;”steadfastness.”The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “continued effort and determination.” With these definitions, we could have a better understanding of our concept.
In the Bible, as well as in the Spirit of Prophecy, we find some synonyms for perseverance, such as diligence, endurance, dedication, determination, persistence, tenacity, steadfastness, and many others.
“When we labor diligently for the salvation of our fellow men, God will prosper our very effort.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 86. “Perseverance” – the key to achieving spiritual growth and success in life.
“True success in any line of work is not the result of chance or accident or destiny. It is the outworking of God’s providences, the reward of faith and discretion, of virtue and perseverance. God gives opportunities; success depends upon the use made of them.” —Prophets and Kings, p. 486.
Our success depends on our ability to use our God-given talents to its fullest potential. In this process, perseverance and self-motivation play a vital role. Spiritual, mental, and physical growth, socio- economic achievements, and overall success in life is the result of the prime application of perseverance or determined effort in collaboration with our faith in God and His providence.
In general, we, as humans, have a tendency of fear of failures. In the ‘parable of talents,’Jesus mentioned that the one who was afraid of failure hid his given talent and lost all of it at the end. We need to be prepared to take risks in life to maintain our faith and to achieve success. Its nothing more significant than what Jesus did “To Save Man He Took the Eternal Risk…”—Signs of the Times, January 5, 1915. Keep moving with faith in Christ. Most of us love to be in certain comfort zones. We are frightened or lazier to move out of it. Sometimes we do not like any event, person,
or decision which moves us out of that zone. But we need to keep moving. Every day we must step forward in our spiritual life with caution. ”Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:36 (KJV)
Perseverance – brings physical, mental and spiritual growth
“The whole system needs the invigorating influence of exercise in the open air. A few hours of manual labor each day would tend to renew the bodily vigor and rest and relax the mind.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, pp. 264, 265 (1876).
A weak mind can be influenced by the enemy easily towards discouragement, idleness, and wrongful habits. Practicing a healthy diet, exercise, hydration, spiritual meditation, proper sleep, prayer life, and good habits, will help us to combat the negativity in us. On the other hand, all these will enhance our perseverance and determination to move us towards the next levels of mental and spiritual growth. “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7 (KJV).
We, as Christians, need to develop a positive attitude, and this will help us to develop better personality, and eventually increase our influence in society. Having positive hopes, expectations, and
beliefs will build faith, and that will fuel our perseverance. Our faithful reactions and spiritual approaches will resolve many internal and external conflicts. Also, our balanced attitude will help us to widen our circle of influence in sowing among unbelievers the word of God. In turn, this will provide progress in life too. But, keep in mind that, when we are dealing with people, we face disappointments, criticisms, conflicts, and sometimes failures. The question remains, are we going to give up? Or move forward?
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (https://www.enotes.com/
jax/index.php/homeworkhelp/ cite?questionID=343193).
We always need to keep our goals in mind. We all have and should have goals in life. Our lives should be goal-oriented and well focussed. God is always goal-oriented. Most of the prophecies
show God’s goals or intentions. Every step we take, all that we do, anything that we want to do, we need to ask ourselves, “why am I doing this.” This question will help us to put ourselves back on track. “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7, KJV). Our prime goal is to meet our Saviour when He comes.
Perseverance – Christ the best example
As the Creator of the universe, do you think Jesus needed to persevere when compared with us? He was born to this world as one hundred percent human, and he had all the possibilities to be tempted, discouraged, attacked, etc. If Jesus could not be tempted like us, Satan was not going to waste his time attempting to tempt Jesus all the time. Jesus faced challenges more than all of us. From the time He was born, they tried to kill Him. His own community did not believe Him. (John 7:5). The religious leaders criticized Him and rejected His teachings. In the end, He was betrayed by His own disciple. So, Jesus needed to persevere with the original solution plan to the end. Jesus is the best example of perseverance. His strength was His prayer life.
None of these harmful elements or challenges could be able to stop Jesus from achieving the goal of the cross. “Daily beset by temptation, constantly opposed by the leaders of the people, Christ knew that He must strengthen His humanity by prayer. In order to be a blessing to men, He must commune with God, from Him obtaining energy, perseverance, steadfastness.” —Gospel Workers, p. 255.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was so disturbed with the heaviness of sin He was going to bear. He prayed earnestly to the Father, asking for help. All those around Jesus could not help Him
much. He asked the disciples to pray, but they too were sleeping instead. The question before Jesus in the human perspective was, ‘am I going to give up the mission’? We also come to specific situations, just like Jesus faced. Jesus needed external help at this time as a human. Support was provided to Jesus by heaven as a result of His earnest prayer. “And He will not turn from His mission. He will become the propitiation of a race that has willed to sin. His prayer now breathes only submission: ‘If this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.’” –The Desire of Ages, p. 690.
Jesus displayed His perseverance with the help of the Father. Jesus is a prayer warrior. Jesus submitted His will to the Father’s will. He focused on His ultimate mission. Whenever His human propensities overtook His mission task, He sought help from God the Father. Jesus is our example.
Perseverance – an essential ingredient of prayer
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving; withal praying for us also, that God may open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds; that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” Colossians 4:2-4, ASV.
We may identify five main elements of prayer in these bible verses. Firstly, Apostle Paul is asking the Colossians to be steadfast or continue in prayer. Not to give up but hold the faith in Jesus. Secondly, he mentions being watchful in our prayers. Thirdly, we find that our prayers should contain our heartfelt thanksgiving. Fourthly, we find that we should pray that our hearts should be receptive to the word of God, and also, His word should be shared among the others. Fifthly, we find here that Apostle Paul is requesting prayers for his mission, and thus, we need to pray for all the missions and the missionaries. To continue to be steadfast or to persevere in prayer, considering all elements of prayer will be a blessing to all of us.
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Ephesians 6:18.
When we think of perseverance in prayer, we may recall the parables of Jesus mentioned in the gospels. We especially find the parable about a man who pleaded for bread to feed a friend who happened to visit him at midnight, hungry. (Luke 11:5- 8). This story is found in the book of Luke, next to the Lord’s prayer. So it is evident that perseverance is an essence. Further, in the
same chapter, we read the words of the Saviour, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:9, 10, KJV.
Again we find another familiar parable of Jesus in Luke 18:1-8 about the widow and the wicked judge. The reason or purpose of this parable is, “Then, Jesus told his disciples a parable to show
them that they should always pray and not give up. – verse one. (NIV) Again Jesus mentioned the result of perseverance as: “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” verses 6 to 8 (NIV). Here, we find that Jesus is connecting faith and perseverance with salvation.
Perseverance – the glorified, persevere till the end
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.” Romans 5:1-2.
My dear brothers and sisters, we are approaching the end of another year. This year was a very challenging one for many of us. A lot of people lost their loved ones due to Covid 19 pandemic, while others were affected socially and economically. But still, God helped us to get through this year with much heartfelt hope towards His glorious appearance. In the book of Revelation, the author, John, addresses the chosen as “saints.” As we are going through the process of justification and sanctification, we are expecting to be glorified at the Lord’s appearance. Once again, we need to ask ourselves the question, “are we going to give up this race?” “Or are we going to persevere till the end?”
“Christ has given His commission: ‘Go ye into all the world.’ Mark 16:15. All must hear the message of warning. A prize of the richest value is held up before those who are running the Christian race. Those who run with patience will receive a crown of life that fadeth not away.” – Testimonies for the Church, vol 9, p. 136.
Perseverance – Practical Lessons from a visionary
The legendary Dr. King was the Mahatma Gandhi of America. He followed the blueprint of Gandhi’s “Ahimsa Satyagraha”, the Non-Violent Protests, which paved the way to the expected civil rights freedom. “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the original name Michael King, Jr., (born January 15, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. —died April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee ), Baptist minister
and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. His leadership was fundamental to that movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the South and other parts of the United States. King rose to national prominence as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which promoted nonviolent tactics, such as the massive March on Washington (1963), to achieve civil rights. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. “On April 3, (1968) King was back
in Memphis, where the city government had sought an injunction to prevent him from leading another march……. King was no stranger to death threats, but they had increased since he emphasized his opposition to the Vietnam War. Indeed, before leaving for Memphis, King had informed his wife and parents that a price supposedly had been put on his head……..”
“That night a rally was scheduled at Bishop Charles Mason Temple, a Memphis Pentecostal church. King was exhausted, had a sore throat, and was feeling ill. With a thunderstorm raging that was anticipated to hold down the turnout, he sent his best friend and chief lieutenant, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, to speak in his stead. When Abernathy arrived at the church, he found a larger than-expected crowd buzzing with excitement at the prospect of hearing King. Abernathy telephoned King, asked him to come, and promised that he would give the major address, leaving King to say but a few words, and King agreed.
“At the event, King spoke for more than 40 minutes, almost completely off the cuff, gathering energy energy and energizing his audience as he went, ultimately delivering one of his most emotionally soaring and rhetorically brilliant speeches…
Finally, as he wound to a close, his speech became prophetic: ‘We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop.…Like anybody, I
would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now.…I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!…I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!’” Adapted from the Encyclopedia
Britannica – articles written by David L. Lewis and Clayborne Carson (https: //www.britannica.com/biography/Martin Luther King jr and by Jeff Wallenfeldt (https:// www.britannica.com/event/assassination-of-Martin-Luther-King-Jr/The-Mountaintop-Speech).
Today, thousands of African Americans in the USA enjoy their civil rights freedom in every aspect of life because of the persevering efforts and sacrifices of people like Dr. King. By God’s grace, threats, sicknesses, rewards or kickbacks, temporary setbacks, etc., are not able to stop a goal-oriented person with perseverance and dedication. In conclusion, “The strength acquired in prayer to God, united with persevering effort in training the mind in thoughtfulness and care-taking, prepares one for daily duties and keeps the spirit in peace under all circumstances.” – Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 85.
“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” 2 Thessalonians 3:5, NIV.
Amen.