Daily Journal: 9 July

Let Endurance

Find Its Blessing

1 Corinthians 7:29-32

But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away. I want you to be free from the concerns of this life.

In the past, this passage seemed empty to me. I used to perceive this as taking your hands off of life, not caring, not investing, not being considerate, not loving. But it isn’t that. In a previous verse, the writer was talking about the crises of the times and he was pointing to that as the reason why he was saying these things.

The earth is passing. It is closer than ever now to the moment Christ will return and catch His followers away, rescuing them from the great tribulation that is on our doorstep.

Having lived through tremendous loss, I can now understand the writer was saying, to free ourselves from the investment of our emotions and our wish-lists and our demands on spouses, frees us to see what matters more, spiritually and eternally.

It isn’t that we can, or should, stop caring about life and uproot ourselves from our own emotions, or stop carrying a sense of belonging with those around us whom we love. It’s that we should balance these things with the knowledge that everything is passing away and what remains will be what matters in eternity. Our life in eternity, if we're followers of Christ, will far outshine our current concerns in this life. In that sense, we don't carry the concerns of this life in the same way. We can look forward without the same sense of loss and despair we would have if we didn’t have this hope and anticipation.

So, how to lift myself into the things of the spirit that matter, and feed my soul for the day?

Let endurance find its blessing.

Romans 12:14 (AMPC)

Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.

As I reflected in Daily Journal: 7 July, this isn’t saying to accept misuse and bad treatment from others, but our attitude can be one of releasing them to the Father, and not carrying offense in our heart so that it damages us or effects our own behaviour. Bless them anyway, and continue with a heart that is free from turmoil. It is only the believer in Christ who can truly do this because we’re placing our belonging in Him and receiving our identity from His validation of us. That's not to say it's easy, but it is the freedom we're called into.

James 1:2-4 (NIV)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

I pray you will be blessed as you go in and blessed as you go out, and your heart will be full of the Fathers love so that you can endure whatever it is you need to endure and build your life around a faith that will endure. I pray you will find joy in the knowledge that God still has good things for you. If you have hurts and trials in this life, what He has stored up for you in eternity will far out-shine it all.