Wednesday, October 20, 2021

“Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (Hebrews 12” 1 -2, The Message Bible)

 

                “Keep On Churnin’ Till the Butter Comes Up”

                That’s the delightful title of a Blues song. Somebody could compile a modern book of Proverbs by just using titles from Blues songs.

    “Keep on churnin' and don't go slow
    Keep on churnin' everybody knows
    You got to keep on churnin'
    Or it just don't mean a thing.”

                Let us reflect on the art or skill of good perseverance. It is the ability to keep on keeping on. It is the refusal to quit. It is the capacity to work through the challenges and problems one encounters. It is the resolve to finish what one has started. It is the desire to do one’s best and give it one’s all. Perseverance is  the determination to strive for the best possible results for the present and the future.

                For believers it is also placing one’s total trust in God. It is the constant and persistent faithfulness to follow Jesus. It is the continual practice of living by the principles and values of Love which include mercy, forgiveness, patience, and self-control. Christian perseverance is the ability to reach for the goal of the upward calling of Christ upon our lives and never, ever, giving up on that goal.

                Perseverance is different than endurance, although, sometimes, enduring is required to be perseverant. But endurance can be a grit-your-teeth survival mode of living. It can be a hunkering down till the storms are over. It can be hiding under the covers for safety. Endurance can be a passive, reluctant resignation. Yes, the one who endures to the end will be saved but I think this adage speaks more to perseverance than mere endurance.

                Christian perseverance  leads us to strive for the holiness that is ours in Christ, we who are called to be his saints. It is a tall order. It can be and usually is challenging and often difficult. If it was all easy it wouldn’t be called perseverance. We need to persevere with confidence and assurance that God is with us.  We need to persevere with hope and joy that God is on our side. We need to persevere using our spiritual gifts and natural talents to make each and every day a better than the last one.

                “But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.” (James 1:25, The Message Bible)

    "Fryin' pan's goin' crazy on the stove

    A blue sky's growin' hazy in the cold

    If I'd quit now it'd surely be a sin
    I got to keep on churnin' till the end begins.

    Keep on churnin' it ain't no lie
    Keep on churnin' till the day we die
    We got to keep on churnin'
    Or it just don't mean a thing."

Dale