By: Justin Dillenschneider, Director of Student Life
Week of November 15th, 2021
Endurance can be defined as the ability to withstand hardship or adversity that is unusually prolonged and stressful. Endurance requires a certain amount of discomfort to cultivate, and there are not many of us that actively seek out discomfort. The tendency towards obstinance can arise when we do not trust in the telos of the hardships we are faced with. If we trust that God is leading us through hardship so that we might draw closer to Him and cultivate disciplined obedience, we are much more likely to endure than if we fail to trust in God’s sovereign plans. More and more commonly today, we are prone to apathy; oftentimes simply because it is easier. In a highly distracted and secular age, we can easily hide behind temporary pleasures and attempt to avoid as much hardship or adversity as possible. Faithful endurance requires trust in God’s character and promises, the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and for us to constantly turn our eyes to Jesus and His accomplished work on the cross.
Continue contemplating endurance by looking at this week’s scripture reading from
Hebrews 12:1-4 CSB
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up. 4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
We want to encourage you to have a conversation this week about the virtue of endurance. Consider these discussion prompts together:
- What tempts you to become obstinate?
- Where have you seen people fall into apathy? Where are you tempted to do so?
- What are some ways you see Christ correcting obstinate or apathetic people in Scripture?
- How do we see the apostles and the early church modeling and celebrating endurance?
Hymn to Sing Together: Blessed Assurance