Patience and Endurance

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)

Introduction

The English word patient is a weak translation of the original word. It is the compound Greek word long (makro) and temper, anger (thumia) or literally long-tempered. The idea is be self-restrained and not quick or easy to retaliate. It is reflected in the stamina to live without complaining, giving up or striking out. They should be ready to endure affliction without complaint and to remain committed in their obedience to God. The Bible is a great resource and reminder of the many that have gone before us with patience and endurance. Here are five examples from the Bible about patience that feature some great men of faith. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)

Abraham – The Father of Many Nations

God promised to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. But when the promise was first given (Genesis 12:1-3) Abraham and his wife Sarah did not have any children. God continued to restate His promise to Abraham through the years (Genesis 13:6; 15:1-6; 17:6-8; 18:10). Abraham, though known as a man of faith, took his wife’s suggestion and had a child with Sarah’s handmaid. The son’s name was Ishmael. But this was not the son God intended for Abraham. (Genesis 16) Finally when Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old God gave them their son Isaac. Though it took years of patiently waiting, they received the promise of God. Hebrews 6:15 says of Abraham, “And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.”

Joseph – From Pit to Prison to Palace – A Picture of Patience

Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave (Genesis 37:27, 28). Though he did not understand all that was happening, he trusted God to work out His plan in His time. Joseph patiently worked faithfully in each situation he was in. He waited for God to fulfill His promise that Joseph would be a leader of his people (Genesis 37:5-11). He had to be patient as he believed God, but probably wondered why he was sitting in a prison cell. God did lift Joseph up to great power and responsibility. Not only was he a leader of his people, but he ruled over the people of Egypt too. Patience was needed to allow God to accomplish His purposes in the life of Joseph and his family.

Job – The Man of Patience

Probably the best known story of patience in the Bible is the life of Job. To prove Job’s faithfulness to the Lord, God allowed the devil to destroy everything Job owned (Job 1). Job was a wealthy man. He lost his crops, property, cattle and servants. But most devastating of all was when Job lost his children. However, Job did not blame God. He accepted that God had a plan and would be patient for God to reveal His plan.

Often people will talk about the patience of Job. He knew God had a plan and was willing to accept what God allowed in his life. In the end God restored to Job twice as much as he had in the beginning (Job 42:10). If there is nothing to endure you cannot learn endurance. You cannot persevere unless there are trials in your life. There can be no victories without battles; there can be no peaks without valleys, no joys without sorrows and no strength without trials and no blessings without sufferings. If you want the blessing, you must be prepared to carry the burden and fight life's battles. God first humbled righteous Job then He honored him with blessings. Once again Job learned God's heart after enduring the trial and in the end he realized God's mercy.

Simeon – Eagerly Awaited the Messiah

Luke 2 tells the story of the birth of Christ. The angels announced his birth to the shepherds who then went to see Jesus in the manger. Later, in the same chapter, Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the temple to give an offering to God for the birth of their child. The Holy Ghost had revealed to a man named Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the birth of the Messiah. The Bible does not indicate how long Simeon waited for the birth of Christ, but the fact that it says he would not die until he saw the Savior indicates that he waited some time. After Jesus arrived in the temple Simeon was led by the Spirit to visit Him there. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and thanked God that the promised child had arrived. Joseph and Mary were surprised by Simeon’s actions. Simeon knew that he could depart in peace.

Jesus – An Example of Patience

Hebrews 12 says of Jesus’ death on the cross that it was something He “endured.” While His crucifixion was for our salvation, the Bible says His death is also an example for our lives. When we are worn down during our daily tasks we are reminded in Hebrews 12:2, 3, “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. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Before Jesus arrived at the cross He patiently trained the disciples. Even after His miracles and proclamations of being the Son of God, the disciples were often confused as to who Jesus was. Today we think of the disciples as being mature men of faith. But as we read through the gospel accounts, Jesus was still trying to teach them how to persevere in prayer up until the moment He was taken in the garden to be crucified.

Patience that we need

We are not to expect to have life easy and comfortable. Jesus told us that, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John. 16:33). Our great expectation is the blessed hope of Jesus' return. That event brings our eternal rewards. We must patiently endure hardships and heartaches until Jesus returns. This will be a day of reckoning for our oppressors and a day of glory for us. But while we wait there are things that need our patient and enduring attention.

The realization that things won't always be as they are now, that believers are headed for "the city…whose architect and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10), provides great hope for those undergoing persecution. For that reason, the more persecuted a church is the more eagerly it anticipates the return of Jesus Christ; conversely, an affluent, indulgent, worldly church has little interest in the Lord's return." [MacArthur, James,]

Therefore we must not allow events to dull our hope in Jesus' return. We must not reduce our hope for Jesus' return to something like the transformation of society by Christian values. Jesus will come personally!  The hope of Jesus' return gave the early Christians strength as they faced hardship (Heb. 9:28). We must look at time from the viewpoint of the God for whom a thousand years is only a day (2 Pet. 3:8; 2 Cor. 4:16-18). Though centuries have passed since Jesus promised to return, we serve a God for whom the length of time does not imply a failed promise. Our hope in Christ's return and its nearness are encouragements for us to serve and obey Him.

Hudson Taylor founded the China Inland Mission in the 1860's. He believed fervently in the impending return of Christ. His belief influenced him to make the evangelism of unreached areas of China His primary aim. His beliefs about Christ's return gave him direction and urgency in the establishment of the mission. "Our belief in the return of Christ can provide us courage to face difficulty. It can give us stamina to endure persecution. It can deepen our hope that God will provide us reward and recognition to vindicate our actions." (Lea, Holman NT Com. James. pg. 344)

Conclusion

Now by all this we can see that patience is a very important key to living the Christian life. Many times we don’t understand why we have to go through things. But it is here that we must be patient. It is here that we must, without murmuring or complaining, wait on the Lord. Even, when life is painful and hard, we can persevere because God is there. Quitting is easier than enduring, but it produces a pattern that's hard to break. So if you've been thinking, "This relationship's too hard, so I want out or, "This job isn't what I expected," remember, you develop resiliency by remaining faithful in situation you don't like and can't change. So, don't give up! God gives great honor to those who endure. Patience and endurance are twin virtues that eventually will bring God's blessing. In times of trial and hardship we must put aside the human tendency to grumble, complain or manipulate and commit ourselves to "God's will and continue to do good" (1 Peter 4:19).

The Sufferings of This Present Time

By David J. Stewart

Romans 8:17, 18, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Here in this passage Apostle Paul addresses the "sufferings of this present time." Everyone endures some degree of suffering in this earthly life, some much more than others. There is no pain like the pain caused when a spouse files for divorce and abandons. There is no sense of loss as that of losing one's children. It is difficult to continue in life when one's health is poor and pain is a constant companion. There is nothing more frustrating than jealous and malicious co-workers who enjoy harassing and making one's life more difficult on a daily basis. There is nothing more disappointing than to have one's plans for the future destroyed. Living can so easily turn into surviving in this frail world in which we dwell. There is no guarantee of success, happiness, or health in life. The only guarantee is problems and death.

The Apostle Paul had more than his share of problems, disappointments and frustrations in life. In 2nd Corinthians 11:23-27 the Apostle Paul shares with us some of the hardships of life he went through . . . "...in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness."

But notice, secondly, what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:18 concerning our present sufferings . . . "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Amen! The born-again Christian, especially those who are serving God have much to look forward to in eternity! Paul set his heart upon Heaven and rejoiced, hoping for the day when he would forever be with the Lord Jesus Christ.

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,

And I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace;

When He takes me by the hand

And leads me through the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

The richest person on earth won't have as much as the poorest saint in Heaven. The happiest person on earth won't be as happy as the saddest saint in Heaven. He that is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than the greatest man on earth. Matthew 11:11, “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” God has many wonderful things planned for the believer in Heaven, especially for those who are soul winners. 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” Amen!

All of our present sufferings in this world cannot be compared to the glory (honor and dignity) which shall be revealed in us through Christ Jesus. Whereas this world hates, curses, despises and rejects us because we are God's children, the Bible promises in Romans 8:17 that we will be glorified with Christ in Heaven. We are joint-heirs together with Jesus Christ. Amen! Romans 8:7, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." We are not worthy of such honor, but God in His wondrous mercy has made us joint-heirs with Jesus by means of His blood sacrifice. The Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, assures us that all of our present sufferings cannot be compared to what God has in store for the believer in Heaven. What a day that will be!

Where can God be found?

G. Pauraj

Introduction

Finding God is a difficult task for many people in this world; the haughty heart and the simple mind prevent the people to find the place where God dwells. Since the world came into existence people of bright minds don’t bother to believe God, because they try to find God through their scientific observations and twisted logic of creation.

The futile Thought

The renowned physicist, British Stephen Hawking in his book “The Grand Design” argues that God did not create the Universe and the Big Bang theory made it happened for all things to exist. There are many like Stephen who deliberately denies God’s existence. Russian astronaut Valery Bykovsky told newsmen in 1963 that no Soviet cosmonaut believed in God and none of them had seen anything to change their minds during their space flights. Rather than being dazzled by the marvels of the Universe and acknowledging God as the great Creator, the minds of human beings are filled with the thoughts of atheism. Paul’s words form a sad commentary on the transition that has transpired: For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:20-22, emp. added).

Longing for Signs and Wisdom

During the time of Apostle Paul the Jews on one hand tried to find God and His salvation through signs and wonders the Greeks on the other hand tried to find God and His salvation through knowledge. Apostle Paul replied to them God and His salvation can’t be found anywhere except on the Cross of Calvary where Atonement for our sins was performed once for all by Jesus the Son of God for all. It is a clear proof that no human being can find God through his or her intellectual power or inventions. God and His salvation can be found only when we humble ourselves before His cross where He emptied Himself for our sake that our souls may be filled with His salvation and with His heavenly riches.

God can be found in the believing Heart

The wise men in the Bible tried to find Jesus in the King’s palace but they couldn’t find the Savior in the palace. They found the Savior in the manger likewise today many in this world try to find Jesus in a wrong place. Word of God says “The Kingdom of God is in you” yes God establishes His kingdom in us in our heart. Or on other words God establishes His kingdom in the believing heart.

"Tomorrow morning I'll open up your heart" the surgeon said to the 8 year-old-boy. "You'll find Jesus there," the boy said. The surgeon continued, "I'll open your heart and check the damage." "You'll find Jesus there," the boy said. "When I see the damage, I will suture you back up and then think about the next step," said the surgeon. "You will find Jesus in my heart because my Sunday school teacher told me so. She said it says so in the Bible. Besides that, our Sunday school songs say He lives there," said the boy. The surgery took place the next day. After the surgery the surgeon began to make notes of what he found. In his mind there was no hope and no cure. The little boy would die within a matter of months. The thought began to get to the doctor and all of a sudden the doctor shouted to God, "Why did you do this to the boy? Why can't he live a normal life?" God spoke to the surgeon's heart and said, "The boy is a part of my flock and will always be a part of my flock. When he is with me there will be no more suffering and pain. He will have comfort and peace. One day his parents as well as you will join him and my flock will continue to grow." The next day the surgeon went to the boy's room and sat down with the parents beside the bed.  In a moment or two, the boy opened his eyes and asked very quietly, "What did you find in my heart?" With tears flowing down his cheeks, the surgeon said, "I found Jesus there."

God can be found in the poor spirit

In Matthew 5:3 we "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When confess before God that we are destitute, without resource, weak and powerless and spiritually bankrupt. Then we invite God to reveal His salvation and to bless us with spiritual and physical blessings. Our being poor in spirit is the recognition of our spiritual need that causes us to cry out to God for what He can and will supply. This same recognition also motivates us to think about God from the proper perspective, causing us to give Him praise and thanksgiving. It forces us to see Him for what He is and what He has and makes us long to be the same, just as the financially poor see and desire to be like the rich. Humbling ourselves before God forces us to evaluate ourselves honestly against God. He is the exemplar of every good characteristic, the possessor of intelligence, wisdom, and power of such capacity that He can produce us and every other good and beautiful thing needed for a wonderful, abundant life.

He can be found on the Cross

The Centurion under the cross found the Savior and openly confessed “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). This Centurion had presided over many crucifixions. But no other man had died with “a shout of victory.” The Centurion was convinced. Christ’s enemies had been wrong! He himself had been wrong! Looking up at the dead body of Jesus on the Cross, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). Tradition tells us that this centurion’s name was Longinus, who continued to follow Jesus in faith and that he even died a martyr. If that story is true, then one day we’ll get to meet him. That’s because the Son of God bled and died to pay for the sins of the world.

We will find Him if only we come under His cross, but drawing nearer to cross cost a lot you need to give up your pride, status and you need to realize who you are and you need to confess who He is. The centurion did the same under the cross he realized who he was and confessed who He was. Are you ready give up your pride, ego and your status in order to find the Savior and to receive your Salvation in Him.  Through faith in him all sinners receive forgiveness, the freedom to live beyond the chains of sin, death, and the devil, and, ultimately, a fully furnished, eternal home in heaven.

God’s great plan of salvation

Rev. Stanley Barnes

“What must I do to be saved?” It was a prison officer who first asked this great question some two thousand years ago. Terrified by an earthquake and the apparent escape of all his prisoners, the jailer in Philippi was on the point of suicide. Then he heard the assuring voice of the apostle Paul, his most heavily guarded prisoner: “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here” (Acts 16:28). Shaken to the core, the jailer “called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:29–30). The answer he received went to the heart of his soul’s need and set before him God’s simple way of salvation: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

The experience of the earthquake opened the jailer’s eyes to see his personal need of salvation. Very often God uses such circumstances to speak to our hearts and to awaken us to the realization that we need to be saved. It has been often said, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” But it is also true that man’s extremity is man’s opportunity.

Perhaps your life has been shaken by such earthquake experiences as bereavement, sickness, and tragedy. Through these the Lord has been knocking at your heart’s door to bring you to the awareness of your need to be saved. The Philippian jailer had to be brought to the point where the foundations of his life, like those of the prison he guarded, were shaken by God. That is what it took to bring him to the place where he became anxious and urgently cried, “What must I do to be saved?”

Paul and Silas had only one message for the jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” They instructed him to believe on the Savior, not just about Him. They did not tell him to be baptized or to partake of the sacraments. They did not speak to him about church membership or good works. They would deal with these things in their proper place and at the proper time. This man was seeking salvation and the answer Paul and Silas gave was clear and direct: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

A minister was trying to lead an elderly Scottish woman to Christ. Try as he might, he could not make her see the meaning of believing. Immediately on leaving her house he had to cross a rickety bridge. When he tentatively touched it with his foot the woman called out, “Can ye nae lippen to the bridge?”—which, translated into plain English, means, “Can’t you put your full weight on the bridge?” The minister had just the expression he needed to show the woman the meaning of believing. He at once said to her, “Can ye nae lippen to Jesus? Can’t you cast your full weight upon Him? Can’t you trust Him? Can’t you commit yourself to Him?” The woman grasped the simple meaning of believing. She trusted the Lord Jesus, and her life was changed.

In the person of His dear Son, God has done all that needs to be done to save sinners. At Calvary Christ completed the work of purchasing redemption. He stood as the sinner’s substitute and bore the wrath of God against our sin. He has made a full atonement and has risen from the dead, almighty to save all who come to God by Him (Hebrews 7:25). His salvation is free to all who “repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

The jailer believed and in that moment he became a new man in Christ. His life was transformed. His first act was to wash and tend the wounds of the prisoners, whom he had cruelly mistreated and who had repaid him by telling him God’s great plan of salvation. That is what the gospel does. It makes crooked people straight, drunken people sober, and dishonest people honest.

When D. L. Moody, the famous American evangelist, was holding meetings in St. Louis in 1880, the Globe-Democrat announced that it would publish daily reports of his sermons. One night Moody preached on the conversion of the Philippian jailer, and the next morning the paper came out with the sensational headline, “How the Jailer Was Caught!” A copy of the paper fell into the hands of Valentine Burke, a notorious prisoner awaiting trial in the city jail. Burke thought he had once passed through a town called Philippi in Illinois and so was anxious to read of the fate of its jailer. When he realized that the Globe Democrat was reporting what had happened in ancient Macedonia, he was disgusted. But he could not shake off the text, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” God used it to convict him, and there in his cell, at midnight, he prayed for the first time in his life. The following Sunday he spoke with Christians who held services in the jail and was led into the light of the gospel. Burke was a changed man, and when he came to trial, the case against him was not pressed and he was released on a legal technicality.

Later he became a sheriff’s deputy, and when the sheriff turned over to him his official photograph from the rogues’ gallery, Burke compared it with a recent one: “Notice the difference in the enclosed pictures. See what our holy religion can do for the chief of sinners” On the back of the old photograph he inscribed Psalm 113:7-8: “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; that he may set him with the princes, even with the princes of his people.” “What must I do to be saved?” If you are asking that question, the answer is the same for you as it was for the Philippian jailer and for Valentine Burke “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”