12/18/18 - Rev 13

Dec 18, 2018

(Overcoming evil) calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God's people.  Rev 13:10

Fighting off evil is not accomplished by our wisdom or strength, it's done by patience and focus on Jesus.

If you could have a couple of character qualities noted at your funeral, what would you choose?

Ex: Hardworking?  Fun-loving?  Disciplined?  Leader?  Driven?  Balanced?  Successful?  Happy?

This verse in Revelation shows two qualities that are mandatory for crossing the finish line to heaven:  Endurance & Faithfulness.   They are two sides of the same coin of character:

                Endurance – standing still when struck by opposition

                Faithfulness – sticking to the path when challenged by obstacles

Every great character quality requires these two elements.  For instance:

-          A long-term marriage needs two people who endure pain and are faithful against temptations

-          Leaders will only accomplish goals when they stay the course, and endure the pressures

-          Hardworking people HAVE to endure to complete the task

-          Even Happy & fun-loving people must endure the lines to get to the roller coaster ride

Evil is an unfair fighter.  It tends to show up when we are vulnerable, when we’re tired, when things aren’t going well.  Those are the moments when temptation works best, and compromise seems most effective, and quitting looks wise.  God shows us that we must develop these two character qualities to survive.

Jesus took on the greatest fight of all time, in the most vulnerable moment of His life.  He took on all our sin, and then faced death alone without God.  His only weapons were Endurance & Faithfulness.  Thank GOD He was faithful!  And He still is!

How faithful have you been this past year to Jesus?  What adjustments do you need to make to build up your faithfulness and endurance going forward?  How can you remind yourself daily to hang on to those qualities more in the year ahead? 

Here’s a suggestion:  write down a list of many of the opposition and challenges you overcame in the past couple of years.  Use that list (and expand it) as a reminder to be faithful in the next one.   Just as victories give a team courage to believe, overcoming gives us courage to remain faithful.