Personal Ministries Built on Endurance

2 Corinthians 6:4

In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

Jesus prepared his disciples for what was to come.  He forewarned them to expect tribulation in their lives.  He then inspired them by letting them know that in the face of every adversity that He had already secured the victory for them.  And so it was.  As they endured all that came against them, the world noticed and their ministries grew.  As it was with them, so it will be with us.

In every element of our lives, we are certain to experience resistance.  Whether our activity is on the physical, emotional or spiritual level, we cannot avoid being challenged.  This is simply a fact of life.  Our ability to cope will be determined not by our own strength but by the strength we gain through the Holy Spirit.  

As we learn to heed the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we will become more capable of overcoming the trials and challenges in our lives.  Constant successful response to what the world throws at us will build up our proficiency in each area.  The more times that exercise is chosen over idleness, the stronger we will be.  The more times patience is chosen over anger, the more peaceful we will be.  The more times righteousness is chosen over sin, the closer we will come to reaching the holiness that Jesus has set aside for us.  The more times we make the good choices that we are shown by the Holy Spirit, the more proficient we will become in producing positive results in all areas of our lives.

As we endure, those around us will notice.  We will become living testimonies of Jesus Christ to the world.  Our personal ministries will become fruitful. 

Let us learn to rely on Our Lord to endure all that the world throws at us.  Let us seek to make all of our choices and meet all of our challenges under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Let us live daily under submission to Our Savior who stands by us.  Let us rejoice in knowing that our endurance will bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You that we may have peace in our lives no matter what is coming against us.  We bless the name of Jesus who died on the Cross so that we may have victory over all evil.  We rejoice in knowing that we can have comfort when the world is trying to steal it from us.  We pray that our pride will not lead us to believe in our own ability to overcome the world.  We ask, Father, for the wisdom to lean on Our Savior in our times of tribulation.  May we be built up in every area of our lives through our submission to Your Son.  As we endure, may others be drawn to the One who strengthens us.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Victorious King, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.