Tuesday, March 11, 2014

"Endure To The End"

"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Genesis 2:12
 
I always find it sad that when something goes wrong in our lives, we start blaming God as if it was His fault. Adam blamed God (the woman YOU gave me) when he was the one who disobeyed. How was it God's fault? But there is something else that people do that I just cannot understand. When someone has let them down, when someone in their life has proven untrustworthy, when they have been wronged, many people turn their backs on God and walk away from Him. How did what another person do to you make you turn away from God? What did God have to do with that? Why was it His fault? Why is He the one to blame? 
 
We see this all the time. Those who once served the Lord have now turned away from following Him. Why did they do that? I submit to you that if a person's relationship with the Lord can be so easily broken, then they more than likely never had a relationship with Him to begin with-- they were just religious. 
 
Life is one big series of events-- some are good, some are bad. People hurt us, people betray us, friends come and go, jobs can be lost, situations can change at the drop of a hat, family will even let us down. But we must have a true relationship with the Lord that keeps us "rooted and grounded" in the ever changing, ever trying events of life. 
 
"... he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matthew 10:22b) The meaning of the word endure here means: to remain, abide, not recede or flee; to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ; to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments. This doesn't sound like those who give up on God and turn from following Him. It won't be the one who started the race that gets the prize, but the one who finishes it- those who continue going all the way to the end. It will be those who endure persecution, hardship, unkind treatment, betrayal, ridicule, difficulties, accusations, etc. It will be those who endure in their relationship with the Lord and resist the temptation to turn from following Him when times get bad or hard. 
 
Are you grounded in your relationship with the Lord? Do you actually have a relationship with Him? Are you going to let what others do to you cause you to turn from Him? Are you going to let trying times cause you to stop following Him? Or are you determined to endure to the end? 
 
Have a great day. Why would you turn your back on God because of what someone else did? 
 
For further reading:
1 John 2:19
Philippians 3:18
1 Corinthians 9:24
 
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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
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