THE LAW OF ENDURANCE
Hebrews 10:35-39
Endurance is described in the dictionary as the ability to withstand unpleasant situation or process for a long time without giving up. But it is described by William Barclay differently. He says, “Endurance is not the ability to bear a hard time but to turn it into glory”. This is the Christian way. Endurance for a child of God is not just to wade through the waters of life but to emerge victorious. “No man, having put his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom” (Luke 9:62).
The road to a fulfilling life isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. You need to develop and properly build a resilient muscle. Everything that will last requires persistence to acquire. You want to obtain a University degree in Nigeria, you need at least sixteen years of constantly showing up and sitting through class in 6-3-3-4 system of education. This requires endurance. In the same vein, if you seek to acquire a skill, you will need to do the same thing over and over in practice till you develop mastery. Life is filled with all kinds of trials, ups and downs. Jesus told his disciples: “In the world, you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer, I have over come the world” (John 16:33). Enduring difficult situations can become very rewarding because it presents an opportunity for us to grow into what God wants us to be.
Picture a blacksmith trying to get a shape out of a piece of iron; he keeps hitting the iron on the same spot without seeing a difference, he keeps at it a hundred times, maybe hundreds of times or even thousands until one last hit achieves his result. If he quits a few hits short, all the precious efforts would have been lost. The ability to not quit during the process of achieving what you want is so important in your journey. Trust me, there will be times when quitting will look like the most beautiful option, but you can’t succumb, you have to forge ahead. Remember quitters don’t win, and winners don’t quit.
Endurance means continuing to trust Jesus even when it’s hard. You cannot afford to give up. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”. Quitters never win and winners never quit. You cannot quit on God. You cannot quit on your dreams. You must press on with endurance because therein lies your reward. You must keep on “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
MEDITATION: Everything that will last requires persistence, Quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit.
