You Must Persevere to the End
10/06/07 09:46
One day
last week, I was watching ESPN
news and
one of the games highlighted was the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. They were playing up
in Toronto and the home team was losing by five runs
in the ninth inning. It looked like a for sure loss
and most of the fans left the ballpark with
discouragement in their hearts. The news commentator
commented that they should have stayed until the end
because they missed a very exciting ninth inning and
a victory celebration for their team. You see, the
Blue Jays came back in their last at bat to score six
runs and grab the win. There was even a little
history being made as the first batter up for the
team was walked and then, that very same batter was
the last batter up in that inning and was walked
again to score the winning run! The commentator again
mentioned the fact that the fans who had left missed
all the excitement. Last Friday night, Joe and Brenda
took us to a church in Millersburg for a special
service with Isaiah
6. They are
a contemporary Christian band and they know how to
worship! Robin and I were delightfully surprised and
totally blessed!!! As I looked around, I noticed that
there was plenty a room for more people. I wondered
how many folks God tried to urge to attend that just
didn’t show up. How many folks did God intend
to bless that missed that opportunity? And then I
wondered how many times I miss God’s intended
blessings because I just didn’t “show
up.”
Pleased don’t misunderstand. I am not saying that we should run to every church service, concert and seminar so as not to miss anything. But am saying that I believe we miss a lot of what God has because it’s just not convenient. Just like the fans that left the game early (probably to miss the traffic) and missed the blessing of the exciting finish, we too shall miss the excitement of the spiritual if we choose the convenience of the flesh. God knows when to deliver. God is never late. If we faint not we shall receive the reward. If we persevere until the end –we shall be saved! What does that actually mean? Why was it necessary for Jesus to encourage us to persevere until the end? Because loved one, the “last inning’ is going to look bad. Just before the end many will fall away from the faith. They’ll think God is going to lose in the battle for men’s souls. It will appear as if the “other team” is going to win so they might as well just call it quits. Don’t you do it! The Judge is at the door. The night is nearly over and the Daystar is about to rise with healing in His wings. Jesus won the victory at Calvary; we know this because of the Spirit He has sent into our hearts. The world will know it when He comes again. That Spirit that He has sent into our hearts will enable us to persevere –even unto the end –and then we shall receive the reward for our faith. Blessed Jesus come quickly.
Pleased don’t misunderstand. I am not saying that we should run to every church service, concert and seminar so as not to miss anything. But am saying that I believe we miss a lot of what God has because it’s just not convenient. Just like the fans that left the game early (probably to miss the traffic) and missed the blessing of the exciting finish, we too shall miss the excitement of the spiritual if we choose the convenience of the flesh. God knows when to deliver. God is never late. If we faint not we shall receive the reward. If we persevere until the end –we shall be saved! What does that actually mean? Why was it necessary for Jesus to encourage us to persevere until the end? Because loved one, the “last inning’ is going to look bad. Just before the end many will fall away from the faith. They’ll think God is going to lose in the battle for men’s souls. It will appear as if the “other team” is going to win so they might as well just call it quits. Don’t you do it! The Judge is at the door. The night is nearly over and the Daystar is about to rise with healing in His wings. Jesus won the victory at Calvary; we know this because of the Spirit He has sent into our hearts. The world will know it when He comes again. That Spirit that He has sent into our hearts will enable us to persevere –even unto the end –and then we shall receive the reward for our faith. Blessed Jesus come quickly.
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