Endure – To last; to suffer continuously. To undergo, bear, sustain (continuous pain, opposition, hardship, or annoyance); properly, to undergo without succumbing or giving way.
Last week we saw that we must endure hardness, if we are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Now enduring hardness is no fun. If it were, we would not be enduring hardness. The fact that we are enduring hardness suggests that the hardness is continuous; it is not letting up as quickly as we might wish. Now this can certainly be wearisome and leave us feeling like we are getting nowhere, because the situation just won’t let up. But, interestingly enough, Scripture has some wonderful things to say about those who endure, those who just keep hanging in there in spite of the difficulty.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Observe that the verse says “blessed is the man.” That little verb is, is in the present tense. If you are enduring a difficulty that is constantly pounding you, you are, right now, a blessed man. It should greatly help you to endure, if you consider that you are blessed for doing so. Your endurance reveals the quality and strength of your character as a Christian. And God assures you - you who endure temptation - that in the end, a crown of life awaits you. Now how is that for an incentive to endure? You see, those who endure gain something. It is not simply an effort in futility. So when you are going through something that is hard and you keep holding fast your faith in God without giving up, just say to yourself, “I am blessed.” Don’t whine and complain, “I am miserable.” Rather affirm, “I am blessed,” because God says you are. And then think about the crown that awaits you.
Then consider this verse:
James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
The Greek word that is rendered happy in this verse is related to the word blessed that we saw above in James 1:12. To be happy is to be blessed. Please notice that the happy people are the ones who endure and not always the ones who escape! Now we consider “them happy which endure.” And, if you think about it, we do just this. Do you know people who have endured great difficulty and have come through it with their faith intact and even stronger as a result? Don’t you admire such people and aspire to be like them? If you do, then you are in fact counting “them happy (blessed) which endure.” Happiness does not come from escaping adversities. It comes from growing through adversities. A happy person is one who can look back on a difficult situation and realize he is the better for having gone through it. Such people are indeed overcomers. They are not defeated by the tragedies of life. They are made stronger by them.
In writing about endurance, James mentions the patience of Job. James connects endurance with patience. Now you know what comes next, right? It is the definition of patience.
Patience - The suffering or enduring (of pain, trouble, or evil) with calmness and composure; the quality or capacity of so suffering or enduring. The calm abiding of the issue of time, processes, etc.; quiet and self-possessed waiting for something; ‘the quality of expecting long without rage or discontent.’
Patience is enduring and doing so with calmness and composure, without rage or discontent. It is enduring without losing it. It is keeping the faith and continuing to hope for what God has promised when you feel like giving up. The endurance I am writing about is not simply bare grit, just bearing hardship with no reason or purpose, or bearing hardship just to prove you can take it. It is bearing hardship because God calls upon you to bear it and promises blessing to you for doing so. It is endurance with purpose and with a goal in sight that you are waiting to attain. God is looking for more than just your capacity to endure. He is looking to see how you endure. It is patient endurance that pleases God. This was the kind of endurance demonstrated by the church of the Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians 1:4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
These words expressed the esteem that Paul, Silvanus, Timotheus, and the churches of God had for the church at Thessalonica. This church endured persecutions and tribulations with patience and faith. If you are enduring a hardship, something that is continuously bombarding you, and yet you are still holding fast your faith and hope in Christ without giving up, then this is a commendable accomplishment. This is an encouragement to others, yea, it is an occasion for others to glory in you. By so enduring you are giving others a boost. Until next time and even unto the end, hang in there and keep the faith. “Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
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