Endurance

This morning I'm reading in Revelation 2. Chapters 2 and 3 are letters to 7 early churches in Asia. They are penned by John, but are dictated to him by Jesus. It's fascinating to me each time I read them. Each letter deals with what the church is doing now, what they are doing right and wrong, and finally the letters close with a promise.

The promise is this, "To him who overcomes I will....." There is the promise of reward for endurance. To simply be faithful and do what you know to do will be rewarded. Sometimes the simple, basic things of the Christian life seem boring, but they are the little things that produce a life that overcomes....a life of endurance that will be rewarded.

Last night Joye and I attended a conference for those wanting to finish well. The theme is basically this- How do I use my retirement years for the glory of God? What is the best way to finish this life? Today we will go back for part two, but the speaker last night was the founder of Operation Mobilisation. He's a dynamic man, now 69, who is zealous to use every breath and moment for the glory of God. Guys like this are very motivating to listen to, but core to a good finish is a life of little faithfulnesses.....a life of endurance.

It doesn't seem like a big thing to get up early and spend time in the word of God, but for me, over 45 years it has permeated my whole being and now is woven into every pore of who I am. Each of those short times in the word seemed like small things by themselves, but added together over a lifetime they produced much more than I ever imagined. It's the same with prayer....a few minutes a day and over a lifetime of faithfulness there is an endurance that has developed in a person's life that will be rewarded with the overcomer's prize.

Don't take the little things of your walk with God lightly. It's the little things, done every day, that will bring you to the day when Jesus will say, "Well done, good and FAITHFUL son."