James 1:4

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

     Endurance is key to the Christian life. Here James even tells us we need our endurance to be complete so that we might be complete. It is even the key to lacking nothing. If it is our desire to be strong Christians, we must learn self-discipline. We need the ability, strength and will power to carry on even when things get tough. In our daily walks, life gets incredibly difficult. Temptations are thrown before us, discouragement lurks at every corner, and life sometimes seems to conspire against us. When all of this happens, we need to be able to stand strong for the Lord.

     We grow discipline through two very similar ways. The first is what James talks about in the preceeding verses. Endurance comes through the trials we face. This means that we need to be joyful about any such trials. When they are thrown are way we can look at them as an oppurtunity for personal growth. We know that with any temptation, God provides a way of escape. That means that when a temptation comes before us, we have the ability to overcome it. When we overcome it, we gain strength for the next battle. And it will continue to grow, helping our endurance to become complete.

     The second method is more active where the first was reactive. Rather than waiting for a trial to come upon us, we can grow in strength by pushing ourselves. The easiest example is found in excercise. By pushing ourselves to get off the couch and work out, we can start a pattern of self-discipline. The more we do it, the more routine it becomes. The same can be said for our spiritual lives. Instead of waiting for some sort of trial or disaster to come upon us we can get off of our spiritual couch. We can look for oppurtunities to do good works. We can make the time to study God’s word and pray to Him. In doing so, it too wil become more and more routine. We just have to make ourselves do it. But the result is worth it since the man who is perfect in spiritual endurance becomes perfect and complete according to the word of God.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it

There was this one time I was mowing at a friend’s house. In doing so I came across this tree that I instantly recognized as my nemesis. It was full of branches and leaves all the way to the ground. I looked at the tree and wondered how in the world I was going to be able to mow under it. No one was around to ask, so I kept mowing. Finally I just figured I would just have to try my best, so I started mowing under it. While that was getting somewhat under it, I still was not able to get to the base of the tree, and it was obvious that the base of the tree had been mowed before.

Just as I was about to lose hope of ever being able to do it as well as my friend had before me, I saw that the tree had no back to it! The branches there either had not grown or had been removed. All I had to do was go around to the back side and I had complete access. Mowing under that tree was a breeze with this knew knowledge. What was frustrating about the whole situation is that I had walked around the back of the tree three or four times already mowing in a square. Yet because I was never looking for it, the secret entrance was never revealed to me.

Many times our sin can be just like that tree. We have a sin in our life, and even though we know others have dealt with it and conquered it, we have no idea how it might be possible. We feel that failure is guaranteed. Yet God promises us that not only has it been done before, but it can be done again, and done so by us. He will provide that way of escape.  However, we need to be actively looking for it, searching for it. If we are just walking around thinking it cannot be done we are likely to miss it. Instead we must be striving to find the way out, because God has promised us that it is there. And once we find it we will not only be able to succeed, we might even find it easier than we ever imagined.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

It is so hard to feel like nobody understands you. Even when you get the courage to tell someone about what is going on, it sometimes seems as if they can only give you blank stares. They do not know how to help or what to say. What you are going through seems foreign to them. So much so that you probably wonder if you are speaking in another language. From time to time, we feel like we are alone and that nobody knows what it is that we are going through.

As Christians, we have a special blessing in that we never have to feel that way. While there may be times where are brothers and sisters in Christ are at a loss, or may even let us down, we have someone greater than they. We have Jesus. We can go to Him at all times. This is even more encouraging than just having someone. In our day to day lives, sometimes the one person who we think would understand us is busy or gone or for whatever reason unavailable. Never so with Christ. He is always there.

Even better is to understand that the One who is always available to us truly understands and sympathizes with us. He has been through it all. There is no kind of suffering He has not had to endure. Physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and any other kind you could think of. He has felt forsaken by God (Matt. 27:46). He has been tempted in all ways. Most importantly, He loves you.  Some people may know what we are going through, but they do not care. Not so with our Lord. He loves us deeply, and He sympathizes us. In our times of deepest need, we must always turn to Him for the strength and love that we need.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

1 Corinthians 3:2

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able {to receive it.} Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

I am a very impatient person. I do not like to wait for things. This is most obvious in my diet and exercise regimen. I want to see results immediately. Right after breakfast of the first morning I check my waist to see if I have shrunk any. The first day, rather than working up, I will try to run 10 miles. Needless to say I fail. Getting discouraged, I will eat a pizza to console myself and complain that this dieting thing is impossible.

The problem, however, is not with dieting. The problem is with me. I expect to see immediate results. I figure that if I skip one meal, I should lose two inches. This is not the way nature works. My body was not built that way. If I desire to lose weight, I have to use the proper method, which includes patience. I have to diligently work my way up in mileage in runs. I have to consistently eat healthier. Doctors suggest that the healthiest weight for your body is about half a pound a week. The most you can lose in one day (on average) is a pound. So to try to lose twenty pounds in one week is unrealistic.

As Christians, we can learn a lesson from nature. In our spiritual lives we have to learn to walk before we run. We must start with milk and work up to eating meat when we are ready. We cannot expect to achieve perfection on the first day of our conversion. If we are struggling with an issue, we have to remember that it may take us a long disciplined road of study, prayer, and accountability before we overcome it. If for whatever reason we fail or do not reach the desired point on the first day (or even the day after that), we need not be discouraged. With diligence and patience, we will attain the prize set before us.

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able {to receive it.} Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

1 Corinthians 11:30

For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

Fast food is a great symbol of the character flaws of our society. It shows us our impatience. We do not  want to take the time to sit down and eat a meal, and wait for it to be cooked.  If driving we often will even go so far as to eat will driving to save fifteen minutes on our trip. It shows us our laziness. Often times we choose fast food because we do not want to expend the effort to do the work of cooking. It shows us our unhealthy eating habits. For the most part fast food is incredibly unhealthy for us. Yet we would rather be unhealthy than be inconvenienced. Sometimes it is even it is the unhealthiness that appeals to us because it just tastes so good. Sadly I am too much of an expert in this area as I eat a large amount of fast food.

While fast food may be alright and even justifiable as far as eating habits go, we cannot have a fast food spiritual life. Patience is vital to the spiritual realm. We must use it in times of trial.  We must be patient enough to give ourselves a large portion of time so that we might be able to eat the word of God in full. Discipline and hard work must be at the core of our spiritual walk. All gains in the spiritual realm must
be made over the long haul. There is rarely a habit broken or gained over night. We must do the work that it takes in order to build up our strength.

Finally, we must avoid those things that are spiritually unhealthy for us. We may desire them because they are the quick and easy path. It does not take much effort to continue in our sinful habits, but it does take a lot of work to break out of them. And sometimes we desire the spiritually unhealthy for the same reason that we desire the physically unhealthy: because it just seems so good. And yet in both cases it is more harmful than good. While it may be enjoyable in the short term, it will not be long before our bodies feel the effects, and generally they are negative. For a more long term view, both can cause long term health problems and finally result in death. But fast food can only end our physical lives.  To do the spiritually unhealthy things is to endanger our very souls and their eternal fate.

For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

Romans 6:22

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

     Being a slave to sin is wretched. The grasp that it has on us is so incredibly strong. We answer to it, and it controls us. Many times the hold is so strong that we do not even think that we have the ability to break free. Indeed it would be near impossible to without the help of God. Those who have been enslaved to sin know that it can be all consuming so that all your thoughts and your actions are geared toward sin.

     As frustrating as that can be for a Christian, it is also important for us to see and understand the power of slavery to sin. The reason is that it is parallel to our slavery to righteousness, and how we should respond to. In Romans 6, Paul compares and contrasts slavery to sin and slavery to righteousness. As Christians it is our responsibility to leave our slavery to sin and instead be slaves to righteousness. To see how consuming sinfulness can be allows us to see how consuming righteousness should be in our Christian life.

     Whereas before all our thoughts or actions were geared to sinfulness, now our thoughts and actions should focus on rightouesness. As slaves to sin, it was hard to refuse temptation. We had to pry ourselves away from sin with no small effort of will, determination, and discipline. Now we should have to pry ourselves away from righteousness if we want to sin. Righteousness should be so ingrained in us that we have to really be trying if we are to go away from it. While it is not easy to get to this point, we must strive to be slaves of rightesouness in deed as well as word.

Isaiah 40:31

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

The Christian walk is hard. It is not a sprint, but a marathon. When we first become a Christian, we start out on fire and excited to do the work of the Lord. We feel like we can do anything. And then discouragement starts to creep in. It could be from anywhere. Things start falling apart in the church around us. A role model that we looked up to deserts the faith. We fall back into past sins, allowing them to entangle us. When these things happen in our lives, it is easy for us to be discouraged.

What we need to do instead of allowing ourselves to be discouraged is return to the Lord. He needs to be our focus. If we think about Him and His greatness, we will gain new strength. We need to be diligent in following His word, no matter how hard it is. When we focus on God, rather than on ourselves or on others, it is much easier to be positive. We gain our strength, not by outside circumstance, but instead on our relationship with our Father.

Also, it helps to read a few verses before where it talks about the fact that the Lord does not grow tired or weary. This can be of great help to us, because God wants us to cast our burdens on Him. With other people, we might be afraid to turn everything over to them, but with God, we know we can because He can handle it. Giving God your burden is like lifting weights with a spotter. When we cannot do it anymore, we can leave it in His hands. In doing so, it becomes far easier for us to walk our Christian walk. If we will only wait upon Him, He can give us His strength to rely upon.

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Hebrews 4:11

Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

     People today are so tired. The walk around in a continually sleep deprived state. People push themselves so hard that sometimes their bodies rebel against the pace. At times there body falls asleep in small doses as they do daily tasks, even ones as important as driving! We can not wait to accoplish all of the days tasks so that we can go to sleep. We look forward to our vacation from work all year long. We work our whole lives, hoping to retire so that maybe we can get rest then. Yet this life never offers enough rest for us. We still wear down, still get tired.

      The Lord promises us a resting place after this life. This is what Heaven is for us. It is our “vacation” or our “retirement”. It is a place where we can rest from our labors. The hardships of this life will be behind us. The struggles and temptations that we face in this life will no longer haunt us as they did before.  The strife and the tears that we have here will no longer have dominion in our lives. Looking back to the garden, we will no longer have to “till the ground” in order to provide for ourselves. All our needs will be supplied by the Lord.

    This all should be motivation for us to be faithful servants. We need to push forward. As with a workout, we have to overcome the times when we become weary and push on. We cannot give up or lose hope. All the work that we do right now will be worth it in the end. As the farmer works now for proceeds later, we too must work for a future result. When we hear from our Lord, “Well done good and faithful servant,” we will be able to lay aside our tools of service and dwell in peace with our Lord forever.

 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

 Ephesians 4:1

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

     As I was standing around at a shopping center, there was a lady who passed by me repeatedly. As she continued to pass by, and odd thing happened. The first time she came by, we both intentionally avoided eye contact. Yet after the third time, we felt content making eye contact, and maybe even a quick nod. After a fifth pass, we were comfortable enough with one another to smile. Just by getting used to one another’s presence we were able to become comfortable with one another.

     What caused this change of events? Why did we go from ignoring one another to showing good cheer to one another? It was familiarity. The more familiar we were with one another, the more comfortable we were with eye contact. We were no longer really strangers. A rapport (however slight) was built up. This actually happens with many things in our lives. The more familiar we get with something, the more comfortable we are with it. Since this lady and I, because of the things we were doing, were forced to become familiar, we were able to break down that wall.

     This has a very important spiritual application. Often times it is difficult for us to try new things. Yet when we become Christians, our lives are full of new experiences. We now are required to walk a life we are not at all used to. These do not stop soon after conversion, but instead, we are forced to change repeatedly throughour our Christian walk. Each time we do, it feels uncomfortable. Think about how uncomfortable it was or can be to start a consistent prayer routine or to make yourself be social with other members at church. It can be weird for us to sit down and open our Bible to study, or for us to refrain from habits that we have built up over the years. However, if we can just force ourselves to get through those first few awkward exchanges, we will bring a smile to the tasks that the Lord has required of us. 

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

Matthew 7:24

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

     Imagine you are looking to buy a house. You look at two houses that are almost exactly the same. Each finished construction in the past three months.They both have three bedrooms, two baths, a dining room, a living room, and a game room for your children. Both houses are in the same neighborhood. Each have a spacious backyard and a beautiful garden in the front yard. It would come as no suprise if you were to discover that the prices for the houses were similar, the difference being a paltry $1000.

     While at first there may not be much difference in your mind, you would be wise to bring an inspector in. One of the main things that inspectors do is check the foundation. After the inspector checks out both houses, you discover that there is actually a huge difference between the houses. While the first house has a foundation as solid as a rock, the second house foundation is crumbling as the inspector gives you the report. Cracks will be starting soon, and if the conditions are just right, the house could collapse entirely. Given that there is only a difference of $1000 between them, which house would you choose?

     Our Christian lives can often times these two houses. Many times two Christians will look very similar. They may be at church at all the same times, give the same amount of money each week, and even serve on the table together. But if one looks at their foundations (that is whether or not they fully submit themselves to doing God’s word) they realize that the really are not all that similar at all. One will hold firm in the day of judgment, and the other will not. Which house are you?

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.