ENDURANCE – LISTEN FOR HELP

      Written by Luz Leigh – 23 May 2008

      Endurance. What a word. Withstand hardships and sufferings. In the book of James in the New Testament, James writes some strong words for us to soak up. James, being the son of Mary and Joseph and the half-brother of Jesus, was well acquainted with endurance. Somewhere between the years A.D. 45 and 49, the Holy Spirit endowed him with words to be sent to the twelve tribes of Jewish Christians who were scattered among the nations at that time.

      James began by telling his readers, which now includes us, to consider it a joy when we face trials of any kind. Our Faith is exposed when trials come into our lives. In turn our Faith will build endurance. Testing then becomes training for us. When we pass the tests of endurance, we become stronger Christians….better equipped to do His work and fight off the devil when he attempts to sidetrack us. 

      In verse 5 of chapter one, we find that God will generously give to us, proving that He has ample supplies of whatever we may need. In this case James was referring to wisdom. Without wisdom all else is futile. Our perspective on life will change when we have trials and experience endurance.

      Could an athlete who is training for a sporting event become all he needs to be without endurance? No, he must daily go through the routines to strengthen his muscles, bring his physical body into shape and improve his mental state.

      As Christians we must do the same. Not only are we to delve into His Word daily, spend time in prayer with Him and put into action what He shows us that needs to be done, but we also need to keep our bodies physically fit and our minds in tune with His instructions to us. Let us not be so busy running here and yonder that we forget to sit and LISTEN for His voice. He may speak to us through the reading of His Word, listening to Christian music, or hearing the Word preached through the media of television, radio or tapes and CDs. He will also speak to our hearts when we turn our complete attention on Him as we sit quietly and LISTEN. Do you hear Him?