Darby Schultz and her husband Chris Schultz. They have persevered through 20 years of marriage!
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Isn’t it obvious that all runners on the racetrack keep on running to win, but
only one receives the victor’s prize? Yet each one of you must run the race to
be victorious. A true athlete will be disciplined in every respect, practicing
constant self-control in order to win a laurel wreath that quickly withers. But
we run our race to win a victor’s crown that will last forever. For that
reason, I don’t run just for exercise or box like one throwing aimless
punches, but I train like a champion athlete. I subdue my body and get it
under my control so that after preaching the good news to others I myself
won’t be disqualified
What Is Perseverance?
Perseverance: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition: the action or condition or an instance of persevering: STEADFASTNESS. Throughout our lives, we have persevered through things in order to grow and mature (i.e.babies lift ourselves up on all fours before they scoot, sit, crawl, walk, and eventually run). We have gone through school and learned how to read, write, and the next level of education! Also, in our jobs, we had to go through training to learn our jobs or we wouldn’t be let go! Now, how much more do we need to persevere to win the prize of our salvation!?!
Just like athletes deny themselves and focus on the goal, we need to focus on our goals: sharing our faith, studying the Bible with someone, helping someone to become a disciple, changing a character of ours to be more like Jesus (lazy become hard-workers, prideful become humble, the timid become bold, the unhealthy become healthy, etc.)
- Do you have any excuses why you don’t change?
- Is there anything holding you back from persevering?
- What do you go to when you are being challenged to persevere and change to be more like Christ?
- Are you hiding behind religious actions or serving to appear righteous?
How We Persevere
Hebrews 10:36-39
New International Version
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you
will receive what he has promised.
For, “In just a little while,
he who is coming will come and will not delay.”
And, “But my righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”
But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to
those who have faith and are saved.
Practicals:
-
- Study out an area in your life you know or you have been challenged to repent.
- Pray for a repentant heart and to be broken over your sin.
- Persevere – share with those who are closest to you what you are working on so they can encourage you and redirect you, if you lose sight of your goal.
This “Holiday Quiet Times” series was written for the month of December 2020. Brothers and sisters from the Phoenix and Tucson churches contributed these various daily devotionals. You can download the PDF packet here: “2020 Holiday Quiet Times.“
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