In what areas of my life should I develop endurance?
Deuteronomy 11:1“You must love the Lord your God and always obey his requirements, decrees, regulations, and commands.”
Joshua 1:7Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.
John 13:15“I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
We should develop our endurance in obeying God by doing what we know he is telling us to do, despite our feelings or opposition. Sometimes, others pressure us to disobey; other times, Satan prompts us to doubt God’s wisdom; sometimes, we simply don’t feel like obeying. When those temptations come, we must remind ourselves of why we obey—because of our love for God and his love for us.
Joshua 23:8“Cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.”
Psalm 57:7My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!
Psalm 119:147-148I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words. I stay awake through the night, thinking about your promise.
Ezekiel 18:24“If righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.”
We should build endurance in seeking God’s will and direction every day. This means making him our top priority. Walking with God daily is a sign of a living and lasting faith.
Psalm 123:3-4Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt. We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant.
1 Corinthians 4:12We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us.
We should develop our endurance in dealing with difficult people. As we respond to people who make life hard for us, we should seek to endure those relationships with patience, grace, and kindness. This is the only way to win people over—by patiently pouring out the love of Christ.
Acts 14:22They strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.
2 Thessalonians 1:4We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.
2 Timothy 3:10-11You, Timothy, certainly know what I [Paul] teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it.
1 Peter 1:6-7Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Revelation 2:3You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.
We should develop endurance in dealing with difficult circumstances. A life of faith will often bring persecution, hardship, and unique problems. Endurance through such times will be rewarded in eternity.
2 Chronicles 15:7“As for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”
Galatians 6:9Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
1 Thessalonians 1:3As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We should develop endurance in doing what is right and good. This means persevering in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Being joyful isn’t easy when others are bitter, peaceful when we have much to fear, or self-controlled in frequent frustrations. But these are small moments of faithfulness where Christ’s light shines through to the world. In God’s Kingdom, they will be rewarded.
