Ready, Steady, GrowSample

### Perseverance Starting and finishing well. The Cambridge dictionary defines perseverance as a continued effort to do or achieve something, even when this is difficult or takes a long time. Of all the themes discussed in this devotional, perseverance most describes the Christian journey of faith. This journey is not promised to be easy, in fact, as long as we are alive, we are guaranteed to go through hard times. In John 16:33, Jesus warns His disciples of hard times to come - “…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Christians are not immune to sickness, grief, economic hardship, or the gradual aging of our human body, but our faith in God acts as an anchor for us, keeping us grounded in the hard times of life (Hebrews 6:19). God, by His power, is able to miraculously heal sicknesses, set people free from addiction, and even raise the dead, but Christians still go through the same struggles as everyone else. Jesus Christ experienced rejection, temptation, grief, disappointment, and the most painful death even though He was without sin. This makes Him a perfect example for perseverance and also reminds us that He is not out of touch with our reality (Hebrews 4:15 MSG). When Jesus calls us, He is not asking us to aspire to anything that He has not been through, and His own experience of struggle means He identifies with us and is gracious to us when we feel weak or overwhelmed. Thinking about all this may be daunting, but let’s put it this way, we will go through the struggles regardless, so would you rather do it alone or with the companionship of a Savior who has promised to never leave you in your hardest and deepest struggles? Perseverance is also about becoming more like Jesus. We cannot persevere without patience, steadfastness, commitment, faithfulness, and these all describe Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2 says that He endured the cross, disregarding its shame and is now seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. This is a good time to mention that there is a reward for perseverance. In addition to becoming more and more like Jesus, which is a reward in itself, our anchor scripture tells us that God has promised a crown of life to all who love Him and are steadfast in the face of trial.