Endurance is a much-desired quality. For instance, we desire possessions to endure and we want relationships to last. And this is what God wants in our relationship with Him. I find that too many "believers" check out on God early. When people don't make it to the end in discipleship it leaves me wondering whether they ever had a genuine relationship with God to begin with. I am not the judge of their eternal state, but with all the teaching in the Bible on perseverance I just can't help but think that God's design is for His children to go all the way to the end without throwing in the towel. Let me explain how I arrive at this...
First, I see in the example of Jesus this quality of endurance. Jesus went all the way to the end. Paul wrote that Jesus was obedient...to death...on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Since this was the way of our Savior then this is the way of discipleship. True followers of Jesus will go all the way to the end no matter what obstacles come their way.
Second, we are encouraged by other followers of Jesus to endure. The writer of Hebrews wrote about a "cloud of witnesses" who made it to the end, and then he appeals to us to "run with endurance the race" (Hebrews 12:1). If they made it through hardship and rejection without throwing in the towel then I am encouraged and reason, "They made it, why not me?"
Finally, and quite frankly, it scares me spitless to think of the prospect of not enduring and forfeiting eternity because I loved my sin more than I loved God! Jesus uses the phrase "the one who conquers" (i.e., "overcomes" or "perseveres") to address each of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. This leads me to believe that those who are not overcomers forfeit what He promises and that prospect is pretty damning if you read their mail.
Be an overcomer. Don't quit following Jesus just because you think something better comes along. Nothing is worth giving up on being a genuine follower of Jesus Christ.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
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