A Living Faith #5 Perseverance

A LIVING FAITH IN ACTION

Perseverance

Prev. A Living Faith #4 Effort

Having accepted the wisdom of listening, taking to heart the Word of Yahweh and the effort that must be made in order to develop a living faith. We will come to realise that effort needs to be sustained if we are to put the Commandments of Christ into daily action, despite our failures. We are but dust and very easily forget! Perseverance is the next essential ingredient required in order to develop a living and active faith. Paul speaks of a progression of events:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:1-4

We are utterly undeserving of the grace Yahweh has extended towards us. Faith brings justification by grace, in that God is willing to count faith as righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the value of faith and willingness to be obedient to the Word will be tested by trials and tribulations. Therefore, Paul reminds us that faithful endurance of tribulations will generate perseverance, which in turn will develop an individual’s character by a putting on of the mind of Christ. Faithful perseverance gives rise to hope. Yet that hope is not directly seen, for the fulfilment of faith still lies in the future. Indeed as Paul comments, if we saw that which is hoped for, we would not still hope for it:

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Romans 8:24-25

Faith and hope know that the promises of God are real and certain. Faith believes that His Word does not change and that His promises will be fulfilled. Thus hope springs forth from that certainty. The value that we place upon His Word, will determine to what extent we are willing to persevere in order to attain the fulfilment of His Word. The value that we place upon His Word will also determine the amount of effort put into obeying His commandments.

If His Word is our greatest treasure, then we will indeed look forward with eager anticipation, desiring to become like the Lord Jesus in character and manner of life. Developing ‘Christ-like’ characteristics is contrary to our natural human nature. Thus those changes in character will only come stage by stage, one step at a time. It will require perseverance and dedication, but that is what having a living faith is all about!

There can be no half hearted measures, no trying to do the bare minimum. There can be no personal compromise of scriptural standards. There can be no compromise and no fraternising with those who do not follow sound doctrine and thus are not in fellowship. Attentiveness and attention to detail in putting the Word into practice daily is required. Peter describes the process of one Godly characteristic being added to another, he says:

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,   to knowledge self–control, to self–control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Peter 1:5-8

Honest self examination will show how each one measures up to those qualities. The way will be hard; it will take a lot of effort and personal sacrifice to overcome our sinful nature. We will fail many times and frequently face the stark reality that we do indeed come very far short of what Yahweh requires of His children. Many times we will look inwardly and observe a singular lack of virtue, knowledge, self control, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Maybe there will also be times when we despair of those attributes ever being found within us, giving rise to a feeling of abject unworthiness.

But the attribute of perseverance will help us through such times. A living faith will drive us forward, strong in the knowledge that Yahweh is very merciful and has shown His love by providing the Lord Jesus as the means of atonement, the one through whom salvation can come. Thus rather than despair, faith will endure, remaining hopeful to the very end. James speaks of the blessings wrought by endurance saying:

“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord––that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” James 5:11

Yahweh is compassionate and merciful indeed towards all His children who hope in Him. But perseverance and endurance will require a willingness to make sacrifices. Job lost much, indeed all that he had, but counted such loss as more than worthwhile saying:

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

We note that Job acknowledges that all he had came from God, whose right it was to give and whose right it was to take should He so wish. In either state Job praised the name of the Lord. Job further said: Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2:10

Herein lies a lesson for us to thank Yahweh both in times of plenty and in times of adversity. We owe Him all, even life itself. The very fact that we live, have opportunity to know His Word and be part of His purpose, is in itself more than sufficient cause for praise. We do not deserve anything and have rights to nothing; anything Yahweh chooses to give is an act of love and mercy.

The adversity of Job was not wrought out of unkindness, but rather out of love, Yahweh having prepared something better for Job. Though Job did not understand why these calamities had come upon him, Yahweh had an end in mind that Job could not at that time see. Those calamites were designed to teach Job a spiritual lesson and as a result Job is set before us in scripture as an example of faithful perseverance. After the trail of his faith and the refining process that he endured, Job concludes: "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.” Job 42:5

Job knew of God and knew about God, but after all his calamities and trials he learned to truly know God. This same lesson we must also learn though the trials and tribulations found within our own personal lives and circumstances. But it is a lesson that will only be learned if we persevere in putting the Word into practice day by day to the very end.

To be continued….. A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice

Andy Peel

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In this series:

A Living Faith #1 Substance of things hoped for
A living faith #2 State of your faith
A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
A Living Faith #4 Effort
A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
A Living faith #7 Prayer
A Living Faith #8 Change
A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life
A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2
A Living Faith #11 My place in the body of Christ and my ecclesia
A Living Faith #12 The Love for Jesus

Of interest: > Faith Requires a Basis

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2016 linkupdate

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Blind leading the blind

Whilst out walking the other day going along the edge of a field filled with a tall crop of corn I noticed a rabbit sitting in the middle of the path. It appeared to be sleeping, so thinking that it had not noticed me because of the tall plants that provided plenty of cover, I crept forward until within a few feet of the rabbit. Suddenly up went its head, it spun round and ran back towards the hedge line. It was then I realised that the rabbit was blind, its eyes were closed! Yet it quickly found the hedge row and turning parallel to the hedge ran towards a burrow only just managing to avoid direct collision with the branches and trunks of the hedging in the process. In its panic the rabbit ran past a burrow, yet somehow quickly sensed it had done so and doubling back with only one quick sniff found the entry and disappeared from sight. The rabbit was blind, yet managed to ‘see’ with its other senses.

Few of us are blind, yet we all have blind spots. The blind spot is formed at the back of the eye, at the point where the optic nerve enters the eye.  Yet we do not notice a ‘hole’ in our vision.  Why? Well, most people tend to assume that what is seen is more or less what the eye views and sends via the optic nerve to the brain. Yet in fact, your brain adds very substantially to the information it receives from the eye. Thus, much of what you see is actually "made up" by the brain. So despite blind spots in the eye, the ‘hole’ is filled in by the brain. Also, be honest, how many times do you see what you want to see and not what is really out there?  I remember as a young child being convinced that what I saw on television was in colour, yet we only had a black and white television set. Have you ever had the experience of looking high and low for something and being unable to find it? Yet when somebody else takes a look they find the article straight away. It is so easy to miss what is right under our nose!

Blind spots and seeing what we want to see have a serious spiritual counterpart. Jesus once said of the Pharisees:

"Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." Matt 15:14

That equally applies to and really sums up, the realities of world politics in this age. Yet sadly it also may well apply to the household of faith. Spiritual ‘blind spots’ are increasingly allowing worldly ways and philosophies to encroach upon scriptural principles. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus quoted these words:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.” Luke 4:18

The light of the Word has shone into our lives illuminating the darkness that once filled our life. Once like the blind rabbit we ran through life not really knowing where we were going, stumbling along over the many pitfalls that lay in our path. Yet we still, yes all of us, be honest even you, have blind spots.

The recovery of sight is not instantaneous and removal of all blind spots may well lie beyond this present age. If a brother or sister is convinced that they have sight and see clearly, then think on these words of the Master:

“"For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. John 9:39-41

These words bring to mind those penned by John, where he says that “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” 1John 1:8. Yet I hear you say, we do admit to sin and seek forgiveness! Yes that is true, but do you openly acknowledge exactly what sin or failing besets you, or is it rather just a general ‘please forgive my sins’ when in prayer?

I guess for all of us personal self examination shows that deep down inside there are some things preferred to be left unsaid. Maybe a little bit like David, who deep down within himself knew that what he did with Bathsheba and subsequently to Uriah was wrong. But it took the prophet Nathan to bring it into the open, ‘Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?  Only then, having been confronted and no longer able to hide from himself the enormity of what he had done, did David instantly acknowledge his guilt.

Maybe our personal blind spots are not to the same extent, but all sin is disobedience of God’s Word. But we do have a wonderful hope for as John continues:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9

The problem with blind spots though is that we do not see our own! But how easy it is to see very clearly another’s blind spot and judge accordingly. Jesus said:

"Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye and look, a plank is in your own eye?  "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  Matt 7:3-5

That small speck in our brother or sisters eye is so very easy to see and why they can’t see it is a mystery! Yet, if we were to look deeply and honestly within our own heart, maybe that plank in our own eye would become more apparent!

Jesus was well able to heal the blind and the partially sighted. Not just the physically blind, but the spiritually blind. Though we now as Paul wrote see as in a mirror dimly, the Word will lead, guide and teach us to use all our spiritual ‘senses’, those fruits of the spirit that Yahweh so desires to see in His children.

Now, what of that speck in your brother’s eye? Well we read in the Law of Moses: ‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the LORD” Leviticus 19:14. Therefore, let us apply this to spiritual matters and beware of putting a stumbling block in front of our brother or sister in Christ. Again some pertinent words of Jesus:

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42 

The warning to the Laodicean church is particularly relevant to our day, "because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ ––and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” Rev 3:16-17. Particularly in the western world, this modern age provides many comforts and riches; our physical needs are well met. Within the Truth we have many books covering a vast variety of subjects about the Truth and we have a rich heritage spanning 150yrs or so of time since the days of the pioneering brethren. Yet how much time is spent not just reading, but deeply meditating about the scriptures. Is complacency setting in? Is vision dimming and no longer present? Is the vital spark of zeal to uphold the Truth in all its beauty and fight against the steady encroachment of compromise still present? Jesus warned the Laodiceans:

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” Revelation 3:18

The purchase price of that eye salve is nothing, it is freely offered and today is the time to buy it. But though sin does so easily entangle and blind spots lead astray, we can take great comfort and have trust in the great mercy of Yahweh. For the promise is certain that if we honestly confess our sins, He is willing to forgive. If we repent and turn aside from sin, He is willing to count faith as righteousness.  Though we see but dimly now, we shall see face to face and reflect the glory of Yahweh.  Though we now know in part, then we shall know just as we also are known. Surely the righteous long to receive their full sight and lose those blind spots. Surely the righteous proclaim with Paul:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

Andy P.

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2013 update:

Christ and The Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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