Persevere To Win -- What Is Perseverance?

Friday, October 15, 2010
Read Luke 9:62, I Corinthians 15:58 & 16:13, Ephesians 6:18-20, Romans 5:1-11
By Rusty Jackson

The word Persevere comes from the Latin word, per, meaning through, and severus, meaning severe. Therefore this means to go through something severe. Webster’s 9th Edition Collegiate Dictionary defines persevere as (1a)to persist in a state, enterprise. Synonyms: Steadfastness.

Perseverance: the action or condition or an instance of persevering.

Steadfastness:
(1a) firmly fixed in place,
(1b) not subject to change
(2) firm in belief, determination to the task.

Applying the Truth as an Individual
After reading the passages, does God expect us to persevere in our faith? Did Jesus persevere for our sakes on the cross and should we not do the same for him in our lives as his followers? Can we have misplaced perseverance in our lives? If yes, can you give some examples? Is my faith and trust in God strong enough to persevere through whatever challenges this life may throw at me and my family?

The last question is easily answered in the affirmative, but harder to live when you experience sudden loss and must put to practice the faith we have read about. However, if we are firmly grounded in our faith in Christ as our Savior, truly believe that God is our heavenly Father, and trust in His will; then we can endure much more than we might believe and still live our lives for Christ.

Applying the Truth as a Church
Are you willing to persevere many of the interpersonal differences between other members of our church? Do the areas that you demonstrate perseverance in your church life line up with the areas that God desires for your perseverance to be demonstrated? Do trials and difficulties develop perseverance in us as God’s people? Can you think of some examples in the life of our church that developed perseverance in our group of believers? Can you think of a time when you wanted to leave the congregation or fellowship? If yes, why didn’t you? Do you believe that God was using that time to develop perseverance in your life? God gives us many examples of perseverance in his word: Job, Elijah, Noah, Moses, David, all of the apostles; the list goes on and on. The trials these men went through were not easy, but think of the impact that they made on God’s plan for mankind and the Christian faith. We cannot do great things for God’s kingdom without trials, struggles, and the resulting perseverance that can come from God’s hand in our lives.