2 Corinthians 6:4,5
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities; in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger.
*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 5281
Endurance: a remaining behind, patient waiting for, steadfastness
From the Greek word ' hupomoné' (pronounced hoop-om-on-ay'): properly, remaining under, endurance; steadfastness, especially as God enables the believer to "remain (endure) under" the challenges He allots in life.
When Paul says they (he and his companions) commend themselves, he is not doing so in a prideful way. He is not saying, 'Look what we've gone through'. He is reminding the church in Corinth that regardless of the difficulties we find ourselves in in our lifetime, God is with us; for He has allowed different situations and circumstances to happen that we may grow in Him.
The plantings of the Lord require strivings to push through and reach the sunshine and the fresh rain. It's a struggle to break out of what we're used to (the shell around the seed) and push ourselves upward out of the mud (miry clay). But we do so knowing that the Lord has called us to do. And that He is ever near us: watching us, calling us, waiting for us to call Him.
Endurance is a necessity in a Christian's life. It is the desire to be obedient and trusting on God to get us through each challenge we are given. Not necessarily to deliver us out of the hardship, but that God's purposes are fulfilled in us and in those we are ministering to in our hardships.
Someone is always watching. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they weren't alone. Other prisoners could hear them singing and praising God. The jailor was right outside the door and could hear them glorifying God while they were chained up. And what happened? The jailor and his family got saved and baptized with the Holy Spirit! [Acts 16:16-34].
Who is watching us? Wherever we live and work and play, someone is always watching us to see if our testimony is true and faithful and believable. While some wait to see if we fail in our faith, some also wait to see if we are real, if our faith is real, if our words are words of hope and love and mercy and compassion and wisdom. We walk the walk while we talk the talk.
So we endure. We endure divorce. We endure miscarriages. We endure cancer. We endure the death of our loved ones, even if we feel that they've died too soon. We endure sickness and chronic pain. We endure tragedy, calamity and destruction; whether from a natural disaster or an unbelieving community.
We find ourselves displaced: no place to live, no house of worship to gather in, little to no food on our tables; having only the clothes on our backs and the shoes on our feet, if that. BUT GOD is still God in our lives. God we still praise for He is our GOD. He is our Shelter (our place to live), He is our Glory (our place to worship), He is our Sustainer (our bread and wine, milk and honey).
The Lord God is with us in that which we must endure in order that His will is revealed as we go through what each of us has been called (ordained) to go through. God will carry us when we believe that He is God and there is no other god. God will walk with us when we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. When we walk with the Lord, we never go through these hardships alone. Therefore, we are not afraid, for the Lord is with us.
It is because God loves us that we Endure. And at the end of every endurance challenge, there is always a prize for the ones who endure. Every race has its own reward. But the endurance race in which the Christian is participating has a reward, too: the eternal presence of the Living God and Christ our Crown of Glory.
So, we patiently wait for His return, doing the work He has given us to do. Yes, we do long for His return, but there is still much work to be done. Not everyone is ready and we need to get and be ready, that we might rise with Him when the Father sends Him to bring us home.
ENDURING HARDSHIPS 16 Songs to Encourage and Uplift
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