I blog things that I find noteworthy or that I want to remember. Recently, I read Mark Earley's commentary (I don't have a link) on "The Long road of Perseverance." I found his words challenging, and their truth resonated within me. He wrote:
At Prison Fellowship, perseverance is .. vital to the work God has called us to -- seeking the transformation of lives and a culture ravaged by the floodwaters of sin. Restoring truth, beauty, goodness, and justice is an ongoing effort.
As Bill Hull says in his book Choose the Life, 'the whole point of the Gospel is to be transformed into the image of Christ.' This is the long-haul quest of discipleship, and it is not possible without perseverance. That is why Hebrews 12:1 reminds us of the need to 'throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.'
. . . Surrendering to the lordship of Christ and learning to integrate His truth in every area of our lives is a radical shift from the watered-down discipleship most of us are used to. And transforming the shredded moral fabric of our culture requires persevering courage and vision over generations.
We see this in William Wilberforce, a member of the British parliament whose Christian faith compelled him to fight to the end his country's slave trade. In 1791 Wilberforce received a powerful letter of encouragement from John Wesley, written just five days before his death. "Unless God has raised you up for this very thing," Wesley wrote, "you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might. . ."
Wilberforce kept that letter in his pocket for years as he repeatedly introduced bills and valiantly argued for an end to Britain's insidious practice. Finally, his 20 years of perseverance prevailed: Parliament outlawed the slave trade in 1807, and ended slavery altogether in 1833, five days before Wilberforce died.
What a great challenge to "keep on keeping on," constantly cooperating with God's purposes in our life! As one book title has it, our goal is to pursue "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction." And God is our companion and enabler all along the way! What could be greater, or make for a more meaningful life, than that?!