What Keeps Me Going – Hope In Jesus

Perseverance.

That word has been bothering me for the last week or so.

It’s been bothering me, because I’ve come across it quite a number of times in studying scripture.  The latest scripture was in 2 Peter 1:6, but to put in context here it is in verses 5-8.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I asked God the other day “Why should I bother?  What’s the point?”  I had been involved in an incident with people I was familiar with in church who were not acting in a way that showed the best of Jesus Christ.  It was not the first time I’d seen it, and what was particularly galling was that this person was in a leadership position.

There would have been every reason to have given up on relating to him and to others in his circle.  I didn’t see the point of carrying on.  I then read this verse and it said again, that as long as the man was a part of God’s family.  As long as he was part of the family, it was my responsibility to forgive him and persevere in making every opportunity to love him.

Why should I persevere, because there’s hope in Jesus Christ.  There’s hope in Jesus that He can do something in the lives of His people.  There’s hope that He can do something in me to keep on loving.  There’s hope that progress can still be made and prayers can be answered even as we believe God for the miraculous.

It is only that hope that keeps me going – but keep going I must because of that hope.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden