Endure Hardship
Endure hardships, do not fall for the shortcut.
The question we ask ourselves as human beings is, why do we always have to walk through the hardships in life even when we are born again, why do we struggle yet Jesus Christ says,
Matthew 11:28-30 New International Version
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
If Christ’s yoke is easy and his burden light why then do we have the pain, Why is it that we are born again and yet we still feel burdened in the different areas of our lives?
1 Peter 4:12 New International Version
Suffering for Being a Christian
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
It doesn’t mean that when we are born again we will not go through difficult times, they will surely come but we receive encouragement from the scriptures to endure hardships by persevering as soldiers of Christ. It is therefore important to have a perspective and attitude towards trials and hardships as they come our way.
James 1:2-4 New International Version
Trials and Temptations
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
This scripture tells us that perseverance is a fruit of the trials and hardships; therefore we should always have a perspective and attitude knowing that God has something in mind.
2 Corinthians 12:10 New International Version
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This is definitely not as easy as said because when one is going through trials in life, it isn’t pleasant. However the bible encourages us from people who have been in similar situations that were not pleasant.
Hebrews 12:1 New International Version
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
Our faith when tested, endures and we become better people.
It’s war that makes generals―Seth Godin.
Generals are not made out of paper work. The Bible has many people who went through hardship in the service of God. So once we are called upon to serve our Master, there is a lot to it than what we can know. Job, Peter, Sarah and others we know who did not even receive from the Lord but persevered in their faith.
We should not run away from the pain and the struggling of perseverance because out of that there is so much gain. For example, through the struggle and the pain;
- Our weaknesses are exposed for our good (We come to realize that we are not patient, we come to understand that we haven’t been kind and we often times lose self-control).
- How would we know that God is fulfilling His purposes in our lives through the pain
- Sometimes God brings rewards after we have endured so much pain and many trials. Perhaps after the pain then then comes the reward.
Therefore, let us not give up or take the shortcut because it is possible to take this shortcut. Let us also be aware and draw some lessons;
- A fellow believer can draw you away from the path of righteousness, a path of endurance, with fine sounding arguments. This is a call for us to allow the Spirit of God to lead us rather than men. We know His work is to teach, encourage and lead us in the path of righteousness through endurance. Not even leaders in the church should take the role of the Holy Spirit.
- The alternative you may want to take from the pain may be comfortable at first but may be leading you away from God’s purposes, examine that alternative. The path on which you are may look hard but that may be the will of God for your life.
- Cheap alternatives offer little demands of patience; once you accept the alternative it is possible to live a life of regret. Sarah sought a cheap alternative when she passed on her maid to Abraham. Sooner than later it brought pain in the family, Esau sold his birthright for soup, Judas Iscariot could not endure till he got what he wanted but lost everything.
Cheap alternative great loss.
- Listen to your conscience even amidst tight and troubling decision making. Listen to the Spirit of God He will show you the way. He will speak to your conscience. At the point of decision making when in real hard times, there is always a voice speaking to you. A voice silent and very clear and solid, this voice speaks in line with the word of God. It may not be palatable at that time but behind it is wisdom and peace.
- Alternative paths are usually a conscious self-effort. There is a danger in trusting in our selves yet we are on a path led by Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
- The path of perseverance requires self-denial of the highest order being careful not to take the short cuts/cheap alternatives. If Joseph in Egypt had taken the cheap alternative, so many lives would have been lost including his.
Vain confidence can come to you wearing a cloak of an anointing; certainly some confessions are contrary to the very word of God;
John 16:33 New International Version
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
1 Peter 1:6-7 New International Version
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
God expects us to know that in our walk with him, it is not always going to be a smooth ride, we shall face many hardships but we have to endure for the glory of God. There is a lot that God works through hardships we cannot wish it away. For as long as mountains and valley’s endure, we shall have times of joy on the mountain top but also when we go through the darkness where the light of the Lord will be leading us.
So where is our hope?
Let us focus our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Set your eyes on the Lord and you will have peace, cry out to him and he will always be there to up hold you.
