Persevere
Today’s Scripture Selection: Hebrews 10:36
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
Persevere – it’s not a word we hear every day. But think about what it means (thanks to a little help from my Thesaurus):
To
- Continue
- Keep at
- Keep it up
- Carry on
- Press on
- Stick with it
- Endure
And that is a pretty good list of what it takes to remain faithful.
There is much in life that can discourage and cause us to give up on the high calling to which we are called.
There are some pretty smooth talkers out there who can do a fair job of convincing us that adherence to faith in foolish, or backward, or antiquated, or naïve.
That’s nothing new, of course.
People of faith have always had to press on and endure, despite great hardship and persecution.
But the Scriptures promise – better yet, God promises – that such effort will not go unrewarded.
Oh, it’s not about getting stars in our crown. Surely that’s not, or should not be, our motivation for carrying on.
But it is comforting to be reminded that, despite what might appear to the contrary, living a life that is faithful to high calling, high principles, and solid faith in God is a life well lived.
So – carry on – persevere – for the righteous live by faith.
And such faith is never a waste of time – much less a waste of a life.
Prayer: Almighty God, Sovereign Lord, give me the strength to faithfully press on to the end – and beyond. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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