The Passionنموونە

Possibly my most used app on my phone and computer is the Calendar app. Life becomes very messy, stressful, and disorganised if I don’t have my calendar. I need to know what’s happening, where I need to be, and at what time. I need the timeline for my days and weeks. Frustration ensues if something is planned that isn’t in my calendar.

When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming and the end of the age, He did not give them a timeline or calendar of events. Instead, Jesus gives a warning: here is what life will be like until I return again—there will be deception, wars, natural disasters, persecution, and apostasy. And, rather than promising escape from these things, Jesus encourages the disciples to be sure that no one leads them astray so they may endure to the end.

The Christian life is not one of comfort or of escape from pain, but of faithful perseverance in the midst of such trials and troubles.

For believers, this is both sobering and encouraging. It is sobering because we must expect hardship as part of following Jesus. But it is also encouraging, because our perseverance is not a way to earn salvation—it’s the fruit of God’s sustaining grace in us. Christ has already secured the victory, and His words assure us that no suffering is wasted.

Today, ponder this: Where are you tempted to give up or grow cold in your faith because of hardship, distraction, or fear? Where do you need to endure with hope today? Who could you encourage today so that they, too, endure to the end?