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)
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.
