Patient Endurance

Luke 21:19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

By your endurance, or patience, you will gain your lives or posses your souls. When Pastor Don was here he talked about the patience in Nehemiah Chapter 2. Nehemiah was patient in where the Lord had him. Patience builds character and God grows us by bringing us through trials. Romans chapter 5 verses 3-5 say,

Rom 5:3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

Rom 5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Rom 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Paul says here that we should rejoice in sufferings because it builds endurance. And we know from Luke 21:19 that by endurance we will posses our souls. So how can we endure trials? This doesn't mean simply tolerating them but trusting that the Lord will give you what you need to get through the trial and stepping out in faith. Verses 12 through 15 say,

Luke 21:12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.

Luke 21:13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

Luke 21:14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer,

Luke 21:15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

In these verses Jesus is saying that he will give them what they need. We should not give up in trials but this also isn't by our own strength that we are able to get through the trial. It is by the power of God. We should be standing firm and praying and trusting in the Lord, because if we are doing this we will gain our lives. Those who truly have faith in Christ will endure for his namesake. So since we endured the trial trusting in Christ and bearing witness to his name we gain life and show that we truly have faith in Christ.

Application

Today I will pray that the Lord would show me where I am relying on my own strength in trials and not relying on him.