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Topic: Endurance (03/22/04)
TITLE: The Character of Endurance By johnnie james 03/26/04 |
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embodies a distinction of behavior. Not
easily acquired, not often chosen.
Often in live we experience trails of
little and enormous pressure, how we
endure characterizes much about us.
How and what we believe is our saving
grace. As stated in Philippians 4:13,
"I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me."
I can't separate character from endurance, because I see endurance as a
significant building block of who we are
as individuals.
Speaking from personal experience, life has required much of me. Born in dysfunction, beyond the inherited depravity christians are born to. I was
presented with a quandry such that I should want to live or die. My life was
on of constant contradiction, disorder, lack of love, support, and gross
misguidance as to what life should or
could be. We get what we get in life,
and with no barometer in relationship to what our expectations should be, we often live and grow into what you learn
in your home.
Instintively we may feel that something is wrong in our environment, but without a compass of what is right direction, what is and what is not, we
endure. As stated in Romans 5:3-4, not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that sufferings produce perseverance;4, perseverance, character; and character hope.
Thus our character develops and grows and we learn acceptance, another incredible building block of endurance.
As stated in the Serenity Prayer "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Endurance embocies all of the fruits of the spirit and lacking anyone of creates imbalance that surely inhibits our progress and success we may achieve in or lives.
Without enduring sorrow, one cannot experience joy, without willfulness, one doesn't learn self-control. To be unfaithful highlights the qualities of faithfulness, to endure cruelty is to recognize kindness and gentleness. To know hate is a precursor to love. To endure is patience.
"But the fruits of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.Gal. 5:22
Learning endurance is learning limits, and boundaries and many great secrets of life. Endurance teaches us what we're made of, how strong, how weak, committed, or not. It teaches us how and who we are, who we can and cannot be.
Endurance is a choice, to decide to endure is to achieve, to place a value on something, to persevere beyond what is obvious to achieve what is obtainable.
To endure is always a test, a test of wills, our will or Gods' will be done.
A continual state of being that once
withstood, garners for us many blessings; and as stated in James 1: 12
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under
trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who love him."