Tag: Perseverance

II Chronicle 9-12 & I Kings 11-14: Finish Strong

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(IK-11) Solomon started strong.  How was he led astray (v1-8), and what were the results (v9-43)?

What can we learn from this story about choosing a spouse, and the influence of family?

What could Solomon have done to finish strong (v3-4, see also Proverb 4:23)?

(IK-12, IIC-10) Rehoboam started strong.  How was he led astray, and what were the results?

(IIC-12) Despite his folly, Rehoboam still followed the Lord.  What further led him astray (v1), and what were the results (v2-12)?

What did Rehoboam need to do to finish strong (v14)?

(IK-12, 14) Jeroboam started strong.  How was he led astray (12:25-33), and what were the results (14)?

What did Jeroboam need to do to finish strong (see also Proverb 3:5-6)?

(IK-13) The prophet started out strong.  How was he led astray, and what were the results?

What warning is there for us in this story?

What did the prophet need to do to finish strong (see also Psalm 119:105)?

How might the example of these four men encourage us to finish strong?

What further principles do we learn in Hebrews 10:24-25 and John 15:1-5 that can help us finish strong?

In what ways are you being tempted to go astray?  How do you need to apply the principles of this lesson to your situation?

 

Full and Standing

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Habit of Scripture

Stephen was preaching the gospel.  There arose opposition, and these men disputed with him, “but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10).  He was full of the Spirit and wisdom, and it showed.  His opponents gathered false witnesses and brought him before the Sanhedrin.  The high priest asked if the charges were true, and Stephen begins to speak to them from the Scriptures.  He was full of the Word, and it showed.

We too must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word so that we might use the Word in the face of persecution or even simple discussion of the gospel with others.  We must be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us (I Peter 3:15).  Are you ready like Stephen was?

We must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word in our temptations so that we might follow the Spirit’s leading and wisely discern which verses to use against them.  Are you, like Jesus, well equipped with verses to throw in the devil’s face?

We must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word in our trials so that we can follow the leading of the Spirit and wisely discern where we might find encouragement and strength from God’s Word.  Do you have an arsenal of verses at your disposal to use in times of trial?

If we are going to stand when the opposition comes against us – whether persecution, temptation, or trial – we must be full of the Spirit, wisdom, and the Word.  Are you?

How To Persevere

On By BrianIn Virtue Miscellaneous

God wants us to persevere in trials.  God wants us to persevere in doing good.  So how can we persevere?  Four words from God’s Word:

  • Grace (II Corinthians 12:9) – His grace will be sufficient for us.  In our moments (or days) of weakness, he is our strength.  We are insufficient to persevere on our own, but we can persevere as we lean on his grace and strength.
  • Group (Hebrews 10:24-25) – We need one another to spur us on to do good.  We need one another to encourage us through the trials.  We were not designed to run this race alone.  We need a group of believers to help us persevere.
  • Gaze (Hebrews 12:1-2) – We run this race with endurance as we look to Jesus.  We are to look to the Lord who can help us (Psalm 121:1-2).  Our gaze is not on the group who can fail us, but on the One who will never fail us.  Our trust is in him.  Our cry is to him.  We can persevere as we keep our gaze on Jesus.
  • Goal (Philippians 3:14) – Paul persevered as he remembered and pressed on for the goal.  Jesus persevered as he remembered the joy set before him (Hebrews 12:2).  When we grow weary and tired, we remember the goal, the prize, the finish line.  We remember the joys of heaven, our great inheritance.  We remember our sure hope of being with the Lord forever.  We can persevere as we remember the goal.

How might you need to apply these four words to your life today?

Called To Persevere

On By BrianIn Virtue Miscellaneous

God calls us to persevere.  In Hebrews 12:1-3, he tells us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  Jesus “endured the cross” and “endured from sinners such hostility against himself” – and we too are to persevere in our trials.  And not for no reason.

Jesus endured for our good, to purchase our salvation.  And we are to endure that we might do what is good.  God tells us in Galatians 6:9-10, that we should “not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Each day we have opportunities to do good, so we must persevere daily through the trials and struggles to do the good God gives us to do.

We are told not to give up, so we must persevere until the end.  We can retire from our jobs, but we cannot retire from doing good, serving Christ, seeking his kingdom.  We are to persevere until our final breath.

God wants us to persevere through our trials to daily do the good he gives us to do until the end. Are you persevering through your trials?  Are you doing the good God has given you to do?

May God help us to persevere in this way.  In the next post, we will look at how.

Bind My Heart

On By BrianIn Prayers

Let your goodness, O God, bind my heart with a chain
to you!  Seal my will to yours with an unbreakable application of your eternal covenant….  Keep me! 
Preserve me!  Defeat every rising rebellion! 
Overcome every niggling doubt!  Deliver from every destructive temptation!  Nullify every fatal allurement!  Expose every demonic deception!  Tear down every arrogant argument!  Shape me!  Incline me!  Hold me!  Master me!  Do whatever you must do to keep me trusting you and fearing you till Jesus comes or calls.

– John Piper in The Roots of Endurance

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here is some good reading for your weekend:

Consider the Glory of God – John Piper (via Desiring God)
A  great summary of the glory of God found in his many attributes.

7 Ways to Kill the Thanksgiving Impulse in Your Life – Jared Wilson
By learning what to overcome, we can grow in gratitude.

And for anyone who is struggling right now, here are two posts to encourage you to press on:
Don’t Give Up – Jon Bloom
Oh, That We Would Cling To Christ! – Becky at …Because He Said So

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day reveling in God’s glory, giving thanks to our Father, and clinging to our Savior!

Perseverance Lessons

On By BrianIn Biography/History, Church Life

Last week I attended a pastor’s conference entitled “Don’t Lose Heart” at West Cannon Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MI.  What an encouraging two days.  One of the speakers, Joel Beeke, shared several keys to perseverance from the lives of John Calvin and John Bunyan.  Here are some of the “keys” I found particularly helpful:

Love your people.

Remember that God has ways to bless us
even when the doors we would have chosen are closed.

Learn from one another.

God can use a God-fearing wife to help us persevere.

Don’t ignore the reality that we have physical limitations.

Have a pilgrim’s mindset.

Remember your hope of glory.