Perseverance is one of the most necessary components for vibrant living. We are too easily knocked off course.
In some ways, we are all persevering. We go to work every day (even if we hate it) to collect a paycheck, buy groceries and pay rent. We are committed to staying alive, so we persist in staying warm, eating and drinking.
The heart of our perseverance problem is not our willingness to endure, it is our ability to commit to the things worth enduring for. We have a discernment problem.
God is calling us into a life of truth, a life of accurate perspective that drives our thoughts and behaviors. He is inviting us to persevere through all kinds of circumstances by clinging to His promises and His truth.
If we persevere with the wrong end in mind, our sowing leads to destruction. But the sowing that leads to destruction often feels like the path of least resistance.
Conversely, sowing to the Spirit usually doesn’t feel good. It includes things like giving up on bitterness and refusing to react to criticism. It gets tiring, doing good.
The key to proper perseverance is choosing a proper perspective; by faith, committing to the truth and pursuing it through all of life’s arenas and circumstances. Perseverance begins with discernment, evaluating what is real and right and true. Believing unseen promises as though they are visible.
It continues with the commitment to keep going.