Today we continue our new series entitled, “Press through it!”
Yesterday we looked at a passage from the book of James. Let’s go back to it again today. We look at it from the Message Bible and J.B. Phillips translations.
(James 5:10,11 Message Bible)
Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end.
(James 5:10,11 J. B. Phillips New Testament)
For our example of the patient endurance of suffering we can take the prophets who have spoken in the Lord’s name. Remember that it is usually those who have patiently endured to whom we accord the word “blessed!” You have heard of Job’s patient endurance and how God dealt with him in the end, and therefore you have seen that the Lord is merciful and full of understanding pity for us men.
I want to focus in on this line from the J.B. Phillips translation: “Remember that it is usually those who have patiently endured to whom we accord the word “blessed!””
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. The people we call “Blessed” in the Bible are people who endured and overcame great challenges.
a) Moses is an example of someone God used mightily. We called him blessed. God used him to lead millions of people out of slavery. But if you give some thought to Moses’ life you will see a boy who was born under a death sentence. His mother had to hide him as a baby, so he would not be killed. He was then separated from his mother and family and raised by his oppressors. As a young man he felt something in his heart for the Hebrews. He looked and dressed like an Egyptian, but in his heart he knew he was not. So he wanted to save the Hebrews. But he went about it the wrong way. He wound up in exile. He lived in the wilderness for 40 years thinking that he had disqualified himself from his destiny. God redeemed him to his purpose in his old age. Sure, Moses was blessed, but his life was not easy. It’s just that he endured. He never once quit. His perseverance made him a candidate to be used of God. Can God same the same of you?
b) David is an example of someone God used mightily. We called him blessed. God used David to lead Israel and to establish a legacy of righteousness. But his life was not easy. He was raised as a shepherd boy. When the prophet came to his house, his father thought so little of him that he did not even put David in the lineup to be anointed by the man of God. After David was anointed by Samuel, his life went haywire. Sure, he killed a giant, but Saul tried to kill him on multiple occasions. David spent 13 years on the run, living as an exile. He was called, but he was persecuted for his call. David had to endure hardship. In the end, he became king. We know him as a great leader. But it’s easy to overlook all the pain he endured in the process. People see his glory, but they fail to truly acknowledge his story. If you want to be great, you are going to have to endure and persevere through all sorts of challenge and disappointment.
c) I will briefly mention a few of the Apostles. Peter preached the first New Testament sermon. It was amazing. 3,000 people came to Christ that day. But eventually Peter was crucified upside-down. John was the disciple Jesus loved. John outlived all the original Apostles. He lived on to a ripe old age, but he did so in exile, on the Greek island of Patmos. He was separated from everything and everyone he loved, all because he named the name of Jesus. Paul was given 39 lashes five times. He was beaten with rods, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked multiple times, and he was even bitten by a poisonous snake. This all happened to him because he was doing what he was called to do. Paul had a good life, by this world’s standards, before he encountered Jesus. But after his conversion, Paul suffered more than any of the other Apostles. And Paul took pleasure in the pain, because he was doing it for Jesus. Like James said, the people we call “Blessed” in the Bible are people who endured and overcame many challenges. Do you want to be blessed? If you do, you will have to develop Godly grit and holy determination!
2. If you want to be considered “Blessed” you too will have to endure and overcome.
a) If you want to be like the giants in scripture you must be willing to endure and overcome. You will never maximize your purpose or potential if you are quick to quit. Quitters don’t make Kingdom impact.
b) God can use you to literally change the world around you. But you must be willing to endure any and all sorts of opposition. If you are quick to give up, you will never do anything of significance. But if you are willing to endure, persevere and hold on long enough to see the hand of God move in your life, you will experience power like you never have before. The power of God is only manifested through people who have developed character through persecution.
c) The Blessing of God has nothing to do with how good you are (it’s not about self-righteousness). But it has a lot to do with how long you can endure. If you are quick to quit, you will never truly experience God’s blessing or His power.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I want to experience Your blessing in all of its fullness. I know that in order to do so, I must be willing to endure, persevere and overcome. Your blessing is not tied to how good I am. But it is tied to how long I can hold on! So I declare that I hold on as long as it takes. I never give up, never cave in, and never quit. Come what may, I am in it to win it! I am in it for the long haul. I am determined to hold on long enough to see Your hand move, Your power flow, and Your glory manifested! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
