PERSEVERE IN FINISHING WELL
BREAD
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. John 4:34-36 (NIV)
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.” John 5:36 (NIV)
11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:11-12 (NIV)
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:22-24 (NIV)
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 (NIV)
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NIV)
16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)
35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Hebrews 10:35-39 (NIV)
5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. 2 Thessalonians 3:4-5 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The word ‘persevere’ comes from the prefix ‘per’ meaning ‘through’ and ‘severe’ – to press by faith through severe circumstances.” Robert J. Morgan
“Have a heightened focus on the gospel, and conviction to share the hope that we have in Christ—the hope that will help us to persevere through trials because Christ has saved us from ultimate destruction.” Anonymous
“We need solid footing outside ourselves to persevere. When we feel the temptation to weariness, we have somewhere to turn — Someone to turn to — for clarity and direction and strength. We are not left to drum it up from within. We know the One who does not faint or grow weary.” David Mathis
“It is vastly important where our steady gaze remains – fixed on Jesus – as we traverse this dusty earth on our way home. It is easy to grow weary and loose heart without a proper focus. He gives us everything we need to do His will. We don’t muster “it” up because “it” is not in the flesh. The flesh will fizzle out while the Spirit is a steady stream of achieving power and joy and peace as we remain in the center of His good and pleasing and perfect will. It is the best place to be – hands down.” BHY
“We need to give ourselves to what Horatius Bonar calls ‘daily littles.’ He writes, ‘The Christian life is a great thing, one of the greatest things on earth. Made up of daily littles, it is yet in itself not a little thing, but in so far as it is truly lived . . . is noble throughout’ (God’s Way of Holiness, 127). If we want to persevere to the end, we need to maintain this dual perspective: (1) the Christian life is ‘a great thing,’ and (2) the Christian life is made up of ‘daily littles.’ Holiness happens one step at a time.” Scott Hubbard
“He who perseveres makes every difficulty an advancement and every contest a victory.” Charles Caleb Colton
“Whenever your prayer loses vigor, let faith support one hand, and let holy hope lift up the other, and prayer seating itself upon the stone of Israel, the rock of our salvation, will persevere and prevail. Beware of growing faint in your devotion. If Moses felt it, who can escape? It is far easier to fight with sin in public than to pray against it in private. It has been observed that while Joshua never grew weary in the fighting, Moses did grow weary in the praying; the more spiritual an exercise, the more difficult it is for flesh and blood to maintain it.” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg
“Sheep are not all the clean and cuddly creatures they look from a distance. On the contrary, they are dirty and subject to nasty pests. They need to be regularly dipped in strong chemicals to rid them of lice, ticks and worms. They are also unintelligent and obstinate….Some in our spheres can be a great trial to us and vice versa. So how shall we persevere in loving the unlovable? Only, I think, by remembering how precious they are.” John Stott
“They who persevere in the power of the Holy Spirit doing God’s will for His glory will not be want of success. Even in what appears to be failure in the world’s eyes it is success in the Lords. For He allows nothing to happen to His children which will not eventually be for their ultimate good and His ultimate glory – never one surpassing the other. Therefore, Continue on Christian in His power. God will be no man’s debtor. Be strong and firm then and wait on the Lord. ‘13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 4 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.’” Psalms 27:13-14 (NIV) BHY
“This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing; not being but becoming; not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified.” Martin Luther
HEART SAVOR
• As Churchill once stated: “Never, never, give up. Never, never, never” and I add to this, following hard after Christ. You will not be disappointed. Pray that He continually gives you a fresh view of His love and mercy, kindness and peace. Keep your eves fixed on Him and walk in His power.
• Run in such a way as to get the prize.
• God is the rewarder of each man’s work. We live our lives for an audience of One whether we realize this or not.
****NOTE: In an effort to bring encouragement to others during these uncertain times I have recorded (albeit lamely!) some Scripture recitation. If you are interested in viewing these they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram. I will be changing out these links each Monday (Lord willing!) ****
Also, we are beginning to post Bible Studies recorded on Anchor which may be of interest. Thus far we have James and we are now beginning Esther. The site is: https://anchor.fm/betsy44
Beth Yoe's Sharing Bread 