Recently I had so much trouble getting a newsletter finalised. I got distracted and somehow the newsletter just disappeared from view on my computer screen. Obviously I touched something I shouldn’t have. After about an hour of trying to retrieve it I thought I would have one more try the following day. Praise God I found it. Perseverance won in the end!
This has got me thinking about life. Often when things don’t seem to be working or our prayers don’t seem to be answered we can be prone to give up and let go of the promises of God. This can happen just before our breakthrough. One of the meanings of ‘perseverance’ is ‘going on until success is met with’.
Perseverance is such a great quality to have and according to scripture “blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him”. Also scripture says that ‘perseverance brings proven character’. In Romans 15:4 it says that through perseverance and the encouragement of Scripture we might have hope and then in verse 5 it goes on to say that God gives us perseverance. So I guess He just needs our desire to persevere to see His promises come to pass. In 2 Thessalonians 1:4 it says how perseverance and faith help us to endure the difficult times. And in Romans 2 it says God will give eternal life to those who persevere in doing good, seeking after the glory, honour and immortality that He offers.
In summary, some of the virtues of perseverance as a believer are – seeing God’s promises fulfilled in our lives, receiving the crown of life, proven character, hope, endurance for difficult times, eternal life.
So maybe losing the newsletter temporarily which caused me to pen this message was so that someone could receive this word of encouragement today.