Tag: Endurance

Posted in Easter, JESUS, Motivation, Uplifting Christ

Journey to the Cross

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].

(Hebrews 12:2, AMP)
photo credit: ucg.org

Hebrews 12:2 sums the struggles we face in accomplishing our goals. The primary and important goal is to receive reward from Jesus Christ for good work done. Any other goal is secondary. This is because “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart” (Job 1:21).

Regardless of your goal(s), whether primary or secondary, you have to bear the cross. In our Lord Jesus’ case, there was higher Glory that awaited him. He knew that after enduring the cross, the reward will last forever. And truly, even now, He is seated at the Father’s right hand making intercession for you and I. Jesus had to endure…it wasn’t easy yet it was the only way for Him to accomplish His work.

In the same way, and as we remember His wondrous work at Calvary, we have to program our minds to endure to the end. Nobody ever said the journey would be easy. It will get to the point where friends will reject you like they to Jesus, betray you like they did to Jesus, mock you like they did to Jesus, and the very people you are sacrificing for may wish for your dismissal or even death. One word that will keep you going is ENDURANCE.

The Apostle, therefore, is admonishing that when the going gets tough, remember Jesus. Focus on the Reward, the Glory, or the reason why you started in the first place. And there is no better time in a year to remember and/or Focus on Jesus than this Season.

Our Lord sacrificed all to Gain ALL.

I was thinking about this; that if someone slaps me or assaults me, I might call the police. If someone spits on me for no reason, I might take action against the fellow. If someone accuses me of something I haven’t done, I might seek attorney’s help. But in His case, there was no one (in the flesh) to plead His case. On the other hand, He had an option to call for angelic help but that would terminate his mission so he didn’t ask for that help. This means that Jesus was goal-oriented person. Could we be like Him? Of course Yes. Let nothing keep you away from your cross.

Your journey to the cross may be fun at the beginning but brace yourself for difficult moments. And always remember to FOCUS on what Jesus did to achieve His Goal. He will be your Strength. God bless you

Posted in FAITH, HOPE, Uplifting Christ

ENDURANCE

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:3, 4 NLT)

It was one sunny afternoon when I decided to buy lunch from a nearby restaurant. When I walked in, OMG! I felt an ant moving around my thighs. Noticing people were looking at me as I walked in, I couldn’t make any move to kill the ant which was comfortably walking between my thighs. As I started talking to the waitress, this ant with no sense of humour bit me. It bit me again at a different place but I couldn’t remove my pants. People noticed I was uncomfortable as I was constantly hitting my foot on the ground. When I finished placing the order, I rushed to the washroom, opened my zip, pulled down my pants and slowly squeeze this unmerciful giant ant to take the life out of it. I didn’t pull down my pants because I saw a washroom some few steps from where I stood. With this hope, I knew I had to endure for a minute or two.

Sometimes when we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations, we have to trust God’s power to deliver. Remember the three Hebrews had hope that God could deliver them. Daniel also had hope. Therefore when they threatened to be thrown into the fire, and Daniel into the Lion’s den, they knew that God would bring them out bigger and better. God did save them and the interesting part was when Daniel’s accusers were thrown into the same den, the lions tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
Friend, when you see people rejoicing because they have succeeded in putting you into uncomfortable situation, don’t worry because God will send His angels to deliver you. Just endure for a little while. The angels could be new Board of Directors, new supervisor, new manager, new pastor, new friend, new client, new boyfriend or girlfriend, etc. The point to note is don’t be in a rush to get out that situation as Satan could tempt you to take a decision that could lead to death (spiritual death or physical death)

I could have opened my pants when I felt its first movement but that could have led to disgrace as people would have wondered what was wrong with me. However, with the hope that I could go to the washroom after a minute or two, I endured the pain for those few minutes. Let us have faith, in any situation, that God will deliver us at the right time. And with this in mind, we would be able to endure any situation. God will work all things out for our good in Jesus’ Name. Amen.