Tag: endurance
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Finishing Well
Hebrews 11:20-22 “By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.” True faith finishes well. That…
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Victory Over the Accuser
Revelation 12:10-11 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the…
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The Holders On
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and…
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Paradoxes
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” The Christian life is a life full of paradoxes. For example, we are told to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father…
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For Those Who Wait
Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall…
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Enduring Suffering
2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 “Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.” Suffering: a recent…
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Joy in the Trials of Life
Isaiah 49:13 “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.” Joy: it’s one of the most wonderful aspects of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). If we are God’s children, we have joy because God…
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An Enduring Faith
James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The Christian life is a journey. It begins for everyone at the moment of the new birth when the…
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A Very Great Race
Hebrews 12:1 “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” In various places in Scripture the Christian life is compared to a race. In other places it’s called a “fight.” These words call to mind a contest, one…
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Tests of True Faith – Part 2
1 Thessalonians 1:6 “You received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” Are you a true Christian? How would you describe yourself? Do the words above describe you, for it’s with these words that Paul was describing the true believers that made up the Thessalonian church? So, what is he…