Daily Devotions
2 Timothy
"Perseverance..."
Text: 2 Timothy 3:10
BUT YOU HAVE CAREFULLY FOLLOWED VII
From the first day when Paul came to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, he was able to remain consistent in his faith to the very end. If ever there was someone who was admirably qualified to write about “perseverance”, Paul would be that person!
THE VIRTUE OF “PERSEVERANCE”
1. The root word (Greek, “hupomone”)
a) It is a compound word.
i) It has a preposition which usually means “under”.
ii) The second component speaks of being able to “abide,” or “remain”.
b) To persevere means
i) To be able to abide under any circumstance.
ii) A synonym that is often used is “endurance”.
2. How did Paul cultivate such a strong spirit of “perseverance?”
a) Paul first learned what it meant to “abide”.
i) In Christ.
ii) In His word.
iii) In His love.
b) He learned how to persevere in the midst of severe trials and tribulations.
i) He learned “perseverance” through facing rejections.
ii) He learned more about “perseverance” through difficulties in ministry.
iii) He cultivated “perseverance” through “suffering”.
iv) He learned deeper lessons about “perseverance” through engaging in spiritual battles.
THE NEED TO CULTIVATE THIS VIRTUE OF “PERSEVERANCE”
The challenge to cultivate this spirit of perseverance today is only too obvious!
1. We have allowed ourselves to become “soft” so that we do not know how to endure hardship.
2. We have allowed ourselves to give up too easily when the going gets tough.
3. Instead of strength we have allowed ourselves to become weak.
Let us seek to emulate the example of the Apostle Paul. Let us cultivate a strong spirit of “perseverance”. There is such a dearth of strong persevering followers of the Lord Jesus Christ today. May we find the grace of the Lord to be faithful and fruitful to the very end of our lives!