Tuesday, October 2, 2018

October 2, 2018

"For this very reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness, to goodness, knowledge, to knowledge, self-control, to self-control, PERSEVERANCE" II Peter 1:5-6

Perseverance means enduring until God turns my pain into gain!

To do that you need:

THE ATTITUDE OF PERSEVERANCE - It's About His Purpose - Not Your Pain

THE AWARENESS OF PERSEVERANCE - It's About His Power - Not Your Pain

AND, today:

THE ACTION OF PERSEVERANCE – It’s About His Promises – Not Your Pain

Act on HIS promises - do the next right thing - the next OBEDIENCE – the next SURRENDER – the next SACRIFICE!

JESUS believed in God's promises and it helped  him endure the suffering.

“……for the joy set before Him endured the cross…..” – HE DID THE NEXT RIGHT THING!

Job trusted the nature of God and did the next right thing!

Though he slay me yet will I trust Him!”  - HE DID THE NEXT RIGHT THING!

Paul remained focused on the promises of God and faithfully continued doing the next right thing.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” II Cor. 4:16-18

PAUL KEPT DOING THE RIGHT THING IN SPITE OF HIS PAIN.

FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS…………”

HE DOESN'T JUST MAKE THE PROMISE - HE IS THE PROMISE!

Bob Leland is a man who really encouraged me several years ago. You may have seen him on television. He has a healthy dose of enthusiasm for life. You may remember, he ran the New York marathon in 98 hours, 47 minutes, and 17 seconds. That’s not bad for someone who has no legs. Bob went to Vietnam as a strapping 6 foot, 200 pounder. He returned weighing only 87 pounds and was two and a half feet shorter. He had every reason to give up. Instead, his testimony is, “I felt blessed, and I am just happy being alive.”

Bob rejected the artificial legs the doctors wanted to give him by saying, “They are too slow; they slow me down. I have a lot of things to catch up on and a lot of places to go.” This man, on his hands, went from California to the Vietnam Memorial, a distance of 7,784 miles. He was steadfast. He didn’t let his problems keep him back. He had determined he was going to enjoy life in spite of the afflictions in his physical body.
     THAT’S PERSEVERANCE!


THE ATTITUDE OF PERSEVERANCE – I WILL TRUST GOD’S PURPOSE IN MY PAIN

THE AWARENESS OF PERSEVERANCE – I WILL TRUST GOD’S POWER IN MY PAIN

THE ACTION OF PERSEVERANCE – I WILL ACT ON GOD’S PROMISES IN MY PAIN