Keeping On Even When It Hurts!

Let's recap, we have been exploring the qualities that are referred to in II Peter 1:5-11, especially verse 8, For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowlege of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have called this study, How To Guarantee a Productive and Effective Life. We have explored several of these qualities, such as, faith which is the regenerational relationship with our Lord as we commit to Him our everything. We are instructed, then, to add to our faith virtue, the "Taking Out of the Trash" of our lives. Then to add to our virtue, knowlege which we addressed as "Christianity For Dummies Like Me!" Then we are instructed to add to our knowlege, self-control which we addressed as, "How to Live a Balanced Life!"
Today, we will look at how to add to self-control, perseverance. Perseverance and patience are often misunderstood. They do not imply a passive sitting and twiddling of ones thumbs while waiting for God to intervene in our situation so as to rescue us. This word really means to keep on even when it hurts. It means that I will not put down the load I am carrying no matter how badly it hurts to hang on. There is a scene in the movie, Facing the Giants where a football coach challenges one of the players to do the "death crawl" for 100 yards with another teammate on his back while blindfolded. It is quite a riveting scene. What are the challenges in your life that tempt you to turn back from the path of the Lord?
Colossians 1:9-12 tell us how to walk worthy before the Lord. Verse 11 reads, strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously. This verse alludes to two main sources of discouragement in life, circumstances and people. The word stedfastness refers to the circumstances of life and the word patience refers to the people in our lives. I don't know if you have noticed, but some people are hard to love. One man said he thought he would like the ministry except for the people he had to deal with. Relationships are a challenge, but a right vertical relationship with the Lord makes it possible to deal horizontally with the people in our families, our co-workers, neighbors, etc.
If you find yourself tempted to turn loose of the load the Lord has assigned to you, hold on, help is already there!