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STEADFASTNESS: Its Requirements, Work and Rewards (Amplified--unless otherwise specified) Among "...the chiefs of David's mighty men, who strongly supported him in his kingdom...to make him king... was...Eleazar..." who "...was with David at Pas-dam-min [where David had long before slain Goliath], and there the Philistines were gathered for battle, where was a plot of ground full of barley or lentils, and the men {of Israel} fled before the Philistines. And Eleazar...stood in the midst of the plot and defended it, and slew the Philistines [until his hand was weary, and his hand cleaved to the sword]; and the Lord saved by a great victory and deliverance"{I Chron. 11:10, 12-14}. As those called to battle the forces of evil which would rob, kill and destroy that which is rightfully ours in the Lord, we, too, face testings of patience and endurance. Like apostle Paul, we seem at times "troubled on every side" {2 Cor. 7:5 KJV}, bombarded, as it were, with "fightings" without and "fears" within. Such conflicts test the depth and degree of our to steadfastness to God and to His Kingdom's purposes. To remain steadfast involves testings of our commitment to continue, to endure, to persist, to be patient and to suffer long. Steadfastness stands against temptations to give in, to relinquish, to let go and to give up before God has demonstrated the victory for and through us. After enduring fourteen nights of storm, "being driven about in the Adriatic Sea" {Acts 27:27}, until "all hope of our being saved was finally abandoned" {Acts 27:20},the sailors on board ship with Paul were ready to give up. "And as the sailors were tying to escape [secretly] from the ship, and were lowering the small boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved" {Acts 27:30-31}. Through an angel God had promised safe deliverance of the 126 souls aboard, but to attain that deliverance meant holding on to the invisible promise of God when all natural hope was gone. Without a heart commitment to steadfastness, weapons, whether spiritual or physical, prove insufficient in the day of battle. "Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand--therefore--hold your ground...." {Eph. 6:13-14a}. Armor alone is not enough. "The children of Ephraim were armed and carrying bows, yet they turned back on the day of battle" {Ps. 78:9}. As a co-laborer with Paul, Demas was prepared but not persistent. He did not remain steadfast: "For Demas has deserted me for love of this present world and had gone to Thessolonica..." {2 Tim. 4:10}. For love of the temporal, Demas exchanged the eternal. When confronted with the demands of discipleship, many of those who had followed Jesus for the bread "...drew back--returned to their old associations-- and no longer accompanied Him" {John 6:66}. Of the twelve, Jesus asked, "Will you also go away?...Simon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words (the message) of eternal life" {John 6:67-68}. The necessity of adhering faith to the One Who is the Eternal Word and to His Words permeates the New Testament. When the crowd asked Jesus, "What are we to do that we may [habitually} be working the works of God?--What are we to do to carry out what God requires?" {John 6:28}, "Jesus replied, This is the work (service that God asks of you, that you believe in the One Whom He has sent--that you cleave to, trust, rely on and have faith in His Messenger" {John 6:29}. Paul urged the Corinthians to "be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord..." {I Cor. 15:58}; and he exhorted the Thessalonicans to "...stand firm and hold fast to the traditions and instructions which you were taught by us..."{2 Thess. 2:15}. That their steadfastness was not of their own making is evident from the words of his prayer for them: "Now may the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father...Comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them--make them steadfast and keep them unswerving--in every good work and word" {2 Thess. 2:16-17}. Referring to steadfastness as a requirement for discipleship, "...Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My Word--hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them--you are truly My disciples" {John 8:31}. For those who proved themselves abiders came promise of reward: "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" {John 8:32}. To the church at Thessolonica, Paul wrote of the comfort and edification he himself received from Timothy's report of "the good news of [the steadfastness] of your faith....{I Thess. 3:6}. "...for this reason," he continued, "in [spite of all] our stress and crushing difficulties we have been filled with comfort and cheer about you [because of] your faith--the leaning of your whole personality on God in complete trust and confidence. Because now we [really] live, if you stand [firm] in the Lord" {I Thess. 3:7-8}. When tempted to abandon our faith, may we be quickened and encouraged by the following words of Elijah, Jesus and the writer of Hebrews, to keep on keeping on: "How long will you halt and limp between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him!" {I Kings 18:21} "Only hold fast to what you have until I came. And He who overcomes, (is victorious) and who obeys My commands to the [very] end--doing the works [that please Me]--I will give him authority and power over the nations...and [his power over them shall be] like that which I Myself have received from My Father; And I will give him the Morning Star" {Rev. 2:25-28}. "Don't throw away your trust now--it carries with it a rich reward in the world to come. Patient endurance is what you need..." {Heb. 10:35 Phillips}. - Ruth French
June 1996 Newsletter | Freedom From Bondage | The Battle | Pastor's Journal - June 1995 Mouths of Praise | Steadfastness: Its Requirements, Work and Rewards Revised: June 25, 2008. |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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