Most
Christians want to see the return of Jesus Christ. It is desired
that the end will come soon because this world is getting more evil by the day.
Most Christians simply want an easy escape to Heaven.
We certainly do
live in a world gone crazy, with bizarre and dangerous acts being committed on
others causing serious injuries and death. Christians are being beheaded,
burned, and martyred in ways unfathomable. Innocent people are being driven
over by a truck. Others wounded and killed with a machete. Yet others shot with
ammunition. Others have had their faces chewed off by madmen who are high on
drugs and most likely demon possessed!
Unfortunately,
the world we find ourselves living in today is not totally surprising if you
have read the Bible. Some of the gruesome details are not written in the Word
of God, but we were warned of the impending doom and persecution of what was to
come.
Whether you
are a believer in God or not, you cannot deny that there is great fear mounting
in our environment. Can you be safe going to a large special event where there
are lots of people? What happened in France is certainly a great tragedy during
a time of celebration. How about being trapped on a train in Germany with what
occurred there? Countless other examples can instill fear in the hearts of men
and women around the world.
To my growing
readership around the world, particularly in locations where fear is growing
more intense with “wars and rumors of war,” I encourage you to be strong in the
Lord. If you haven’t been saved by God, you need to get saved. Salvation is
free and it’s wonderful. You’ll never receive another gift so great that is
lasting for eternity.
If you
haven’t been born again, you must do so to see the Kingdom of Heaven and to see
God Himself face to face someday. Please, I want to encourage you! Take a look
at some of the first blog posts that were posted back in 2011 and 2012 to learn
more if you don’t understand. Also, read the Bible and find a church that
teaches the Gospel and the whole Word of God.
If you’re in
China, as a few readers of this blog have been located, then maybe your mission
is to learn and worship underground. Maybe your freedom to embrace God is not
much freedom at all, but I assure you that with patient endurance you will
someday be totally free. In the meantime, your soul and your mind can be set
free with Jesus Christ now.
We we need now is to
have patient endurance for the day of our salvation. We need to patiently
endure the things on this earth while we run our race.
“ ... Let us run with endurance the race God has
set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
What are you
doing to run your race? Are you even aware of the race at all? You don’t have
to be an Olympic athlete to be in this race. This is a spiritual race. Are you
even saved?
My mission is
to evangelize by planting seeds for others to be able to understand how to enter into the Kingdom of God through
the salvation God offers in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. He offers
forgiveness, love, and sanctification.
I do my best to spread the Gospel and
plant these seeds. I am trying my best to
encourage others, which encourages me, too! Sometimes it's difficult when I, myself, am going through trials and tribulations in my body or my life. No one said it was going to be easy. With Jesus Christ, we can have our best friend and ally.
Instead of
having fear and being ready to jump ship from this life, we need to pursue our
Godly talents and work at them with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength,
and that begins with loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
We need to get down to business.
If you’re
just sitting around waiting for things to wrap themselves up here on the earth
by just looking and wanting Jesus to come back, then I assure you His coming
will be delayed. Why? Because you are waiting without patient endurance! You
are waiting without doing anything during the wait.
God’s timing
is not really being delayed and yet, in a sense, it seems like it is delayed. He
tells us what it will be like:
“Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a
thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready
so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.” (Revelation 15:16)
Are you
watching for Him? I certainly am watching with anticipation while I work out my
salvation with my ministerial gifts. Are you clothes clean? This means you are
being sanctified (made holy) by not sinning and by living a clean life worthy
of God’s glorification.
Patient endurance
has other applicable meanings, which can also include persecution. Christians
are being persecuted more and more each day. Yet, we are to endure this with patience,
too! See the following scriptures:
“This means that God’s holy people
must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their
faith in Jesus.” (Revelation
14:12)
“Anyone who is destined for prison will be
taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword.
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain
faithful.” (Revelation 13:10)
What is your
destination? What is mine? Only God knows. So make the most of every moment you
are alive here on this earth and seek God for His will and the correct direction
for your path.
“Think of all the hostility He (Jesus Christ)
endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your
lives in your struggle against sin.”
(Hebrews 12:3)
If you are
saved, you better be struggling your best not to sin! The sins of this world
are a trap to pull you away from God. Be strong! Don’t ever give up!
Only Jesus
Christ gave His own life in place of our sins — all of our sins! Yet, that
doesn’t mean we should go ahead and sin and then just repent. Oh no!
There is also
patient endurance in discipline; it’s “divine discipline.” God’s discipline is similar
to a good and loving parent, but even better because He knows best.
“And have you forgotten the encouraging words
God spoke to you as His children? He said, ‘My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t
give up when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He
punishes each one He accepts as His child.’ As you endure this divine
discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever
heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t
discipline you as He does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate
and are not really His children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers
who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father
of our spirits, and live forever?”
(Hebrews 12:5-9)
Here are
several more scriptures about patient endurance in our wait:
“May the Lord lead our hearts into a full understanding and expression of the
love of God, and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
“By His divine power, God has given us
everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by
coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of his marvelous
glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us
great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His
divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In
view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement
your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence
with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient
endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly
affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow
like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-8)
“I, John, am your brother and your partner in
suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus
calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God
and for my testimony about Jesus.” (Revelation 1:9)
“I know all the things you do. I have seen
your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil
people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are
not. You have discovered they are liars.” (Revelation 2:2)
“I know all
the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your
patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.”
(Revelation 2:19)
Until we
virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.
God’s Word for Today:
“Patient
endurance is what you need now, so that you will
continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:36)
Copyright © 2016 by Patricia
Shehan
All scripture is quoted from various
translations of the Holy Bible (God’s Word) and is set it italics.
