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The Joy in Perseverance

Writer's picture: Claudine LicardoClaudine Licardo

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)



The path of perseverance was, is, and will never be easy. But that doesn't mean that we cannot persevere joyfully. Sometimes, we believers are weary from enduring and persevering in our daily trials, struggles, temptations. We know that it is necessary to persevere and that God is able to keep and sustain us until the end but why are we sometimes weary of this fight? I believe one of the reasons is that we expect God to do something He didn't intend to do-- that is for us to live a comfortable and stable life. Consciously or unconsciously, we sometimes pray to God for Him to remove the trials, the struggles, the temptations, but more often than not, God's purpose is for us to persevere amidst all those. We sometimes pray, "Lord, go and win the battle" instead of, "Lord, empower me and strengthen me to fight and win this battle."

We are tired and weary because we expect God to do something for us in an instant. Brethren, following Christ isn't an instant one time big time act. It isn't magic. It requires daily, moment by moment following on our part. Oftentimes, we want God to give us the fruit instantly without us letting Him strengthen and empower us through all the persevering we need to win the battle. In other words, we want the rewards right away without the sacrifices. We want to follow Jesus but not deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. This isn’t the way to persevere joyfully.

So how can we have joy in perseverance?

First, be reminded always that our persevering is God's work itself because our preservation is secured by Him. It is as sure as Christ is righteous and God is just.

Second, perseverance is not the end. It is the means for a great future that God has in store for us. We can see that in 1 Peter 1:3-4: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you".

Third, God is more committed to keep us in faith than us desiring to stay in the faith. He is holding us more firmly than us holding unto Christ. 1 Peter 1:5 says, "who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Our sovereign God who is also powerful, and omniscient, and omnipotent also keeps us secure. If we are in Christ, no one can snatch us away from Him. Romans 8:31 says, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Our continued faith in God up until now is the evidence of God's sustaining and keeping power.

All these, believers, are more than enough reasons for us to be joyful even amidst all the sufferings, the trials, the struggles and temptations we continually face in our daily lives. And this joy that we have in Christ is not temporal because it isn't based on our changing circumstances but on the unchanging, secured and eternal relationship we have in God.

Believer, in our persevering, let us look to Jesus and be reminded of our security in Him both in our salvation and preservation. Let us be joyful even through the hard times by not looking to our current circumstances but to our reward and inheritance that God has prepared and guarded for us in eternity.




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