…In Endurance

When times of questioning are upon us, what is the significance of asking, “Who am I?”?

Let me tell you, Dear Readers, who I am or rather what I am like because I love Jesus’ method of using similes.

I am like a lighthouse (housing light) that indicates where the safety of shore is. (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV, Psalm 119:105 NIV)

I am like a road sign that points to the path of life you need to take. (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)

I am like a guide for the lost and struggling to help them find The Way. (Luke 14:23, John 14:16)

I am like a below-the-surface question that stimulates deep thoughts of where you are in your relationship with Christ Jesus. (John 18:4-9 Who or what are you looking for?, Mark 8:27-29 Who do you say Jesus is?, and John 5:6 Do you want to be healed?)

I am like WD-40 on the rusty hinges of a door that you have refused to open for so long. (Colossians 4:3 ESV)

I am like the bottle that holds the detangling spray and nourishment you need for your hair. (Galatians 2:20 ESV, 1st Corinthians 3:16 ESV, and Romans 8:11 ESV)

I am like the gas pump nozzle that issues the gas needed for your vehicle/ journey. (Acts 1:8 ESV, Romans 15:13 ESV)

Lighthouses need renovating. Road signs need refreshing. Guides retire. Questions are sometimes ignored or go unanswered. WD-40 runs out. Bottles break down. Gas pump nozzles need replacing.

What now, when the godly lifestyle you strive to live does not align with the world in which you live or the people around you?

What now, when your child strays from the godly ways in which he/ she was raised?

What now, when you discover a shortage of godly candidates who are spiritually qualified to walk with you as a life partner?

What now, when choosing a leader comes down to choosing between flawed individuals who do not 100% mirror your values, beliefs, or position on things that matter to you?

What now, when the thing you can’t live without is tainted and/ or genetically modified?

What now, when the thing you need in this world to live is also killing you?

What now, when there seems to be more wrong with the world than what’s right?

We ask ourselves these questions, feeling lost, confused, hopeless, frustrated, curious, angry, disappointed, afraid, anxious, and stuck, but somehow, we make it to breathe another day. I have learned that if I live long enough, I will ride life’s rollercoaster up again! The view is awesome from the top, but the low points are also where I face the wall of prayer (Isaiah 38:2)! I have seen God work out things that I just I knew in my limited knowledge was IMPOSSIBLE! Then, I sheepishly wondered why I ever worried! Nothing catches God by surprise. (Ecclesiastes 1:9, 1st Corinthians 10:13; Isaiah 46:10)

So what are we to do when we feel weary and like fainting? The Holy Bible says to endure (2nd Timothy 2:3-5 ESV; verse 12 ESV; verse 12 KJV) Someone in the faith once asked me in so many words, “If Christ suffered, what makes you think that you are exempt?” Good point.

Good point indeed. I think of poor Stephen in the Book of Acts how he took a stoning for his faith and for following Christ Jesus with conviction so strong that Jesus stood up from His seat at the right hand of the Father and looked down. It was from the moment I read this scripture at age 19, I declared teary eyed, “I want to be like Stephen, faithful to the point of death.”

Disappointment saddens my heart when I find few to no one who is striving to LIVE for Christ. Many say they identify as Christian but few desire to be held accountable for what they say and do or how they live. Many excuse away their sin and try to justify their sin by saying, “No one is perfect.” Indeed, no one is perfect but Christ, but shall we continue sinning that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1-2) People deflect godly correction by misusing the word “judge” and trying to make godly counsel look like hateful, jealous, Bible-thumping, oppression, but scripture tells us to be free of the sin we are correcting in others. 2nd Timothy 4:2 specifically charges us to correct among other things. People love to quote Matthew 7:1 but forget that verse 5 says that you will see clearly to correct your brother or sister in Christ when you have been free of the thing you are correcting in him/ her. The scripture does not say that we are not allowed to correct others. This matter of correction is also something we must endure in life. Consider the context of the entire scripture and not just bits and pieces to support a personal agenda.

In this life, we will have trouble. Jesus confirmed that (John 16:33), but we will see victory if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9). It is not easy being different in a crowd, being a light in darkness, being the odd one out, sticking out like a sore thumb, being ridiculed, or accused of making waves. When we are living righteously, not self-righteously, we have nothing of which to be ashamed. There are two choices for those who feel our waves: trust in Jesus and walk on water, or drown in unbelief. It may sound harsh. It may sadden us to leave anyone behind, but the Lord said to His disciples when He sent them out two by two “shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them” that do not receive the Word of God (Mark 6:7-13 ESV). A wise person once told me that the Word of God is not debatable. I agree. God said what He said, and that is that. We can either accept it or not, but His Word is not any less true if we do not accept it and live by it. Narrow or broad path. Hot or cold. Lukewarm? He will spit you out of His mouth like lukewarm coffee. (Revelation 3:15-17 NIV)

So what now with our questions, our gripes, and our fatigue? We endure. We cling to Christ Jesus, the Word of God, and we endure. The God of Salvation is in endurance. That is where I have found God to be. He is my hope and what keeps me going in faith. He is what gets me up and moving when nothing else does. He is my fuel. Without Him, I am nothing. Apart from Him, I can do nothing (John 15:5). My heart is set on Christ, and I will not marry if God does not send me the one He has for me, the one who draws my heart closer to the Father’s.

My Dear Readers,

I pray that you have found something useful in my words and in the scriptures. The entry and flow of this post has differed from my usual, but as long as God is glorified and His people are edified, I am at peace. God bless and keep you, and may you always find God…In Endurance.

P.S.

I usually include a song of encouragement, so if you missed it, scroll up and click the hyperlink for “wall of prayer.”

Resources: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=simile+definition&atb=v427-1&ia=web;

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-endurance/;

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God-Giving-Light;

https://www.openbible.info/topics/leading_others_to_christ; https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/The-Power-Of-Christ;

https://www.openbible.info/topics/the_power_of_christ_living_in_us;

https://www.rethinknow.org/questions-jesus-asked/;

https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/52739/whats-the-significance-of-hezekiah-praying-facing-the-wall