- Endurance is the ability to stand & be patient when we feel weak.
3 Characters that Represent Endurance
1. Soldier
2 Timothy 2:3-4
3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
-Endurance is living the sacrificial life
- As a soldier, you cannot 'take leave' from a warfare. You will miss big things happening in your life for example, your anniversary with your spouse, your kid's biggest competition, your father's birthday, but as a soldier you won't be able to leave your role and take part in those big events as it's the nature of being a soldier.
1 John 2:15-16
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
- Therefore as a Christian we may need to miss a lot of things that are interested in our lives but may not be a righteous thing in God's eyes.
- Our goal in life shouldn't be earning how much money or travelling to how many countries, but it should involve in doing things that glorifies God.
- And the fruit of this goal will bring happiness to us.
2. Athlete
2 Timothy 2:5
5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.
- In a competition, if an athlete won 1st prize but didn't follow the rules, his prize will be stripped as he didn't deserve the prize. and will be disqualified.
- Even if it's hard to be kind to people, perhaps people always take advantage of us whenever we're kind to them and make us discouraged to continue the act of kindness, we must have the endurance to continue.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
- Don't just live an average life, live a great life, win in life.
- Winning doesn't mean you always get 1st in everything you do, but it means tasting success.
- When you do the right thing, you'll never be wrong.
3. Farmer
2 Timothy 2:6
6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
- Endurance in labouring in God's work.
Galatians 6:9
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Hard work to plant seeds
- Will reap harvest of blessings if we work hard
- Keep enduring, our challenges will pass.
- Our strength comes from God.
- Sometimes God brings us to be weak so that we know that God is strong.
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