Blessed Endurance, Jesus Is Mine!

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1.12

Each of us faces opposition, pain, difficulty, and loss. With every test we face the temptation to flee rather than stand firm. The follower of Jesus Christ is called to endure hardship. James teaches us that the one who endures temptation, the same term rendered trial in earlier verses, is blessed. Let’s look to discover what form this blessing is to take.

Do you long for a time when endurance will no longer be needed? James speaks of such a time in the believer’s future—the test will be over and the disciple will receive a passing grade from his Teacher. Knowing that the tests of this life will someday come to an end and that endurance will be rewarded with the approval of our Teacher, we gain a perspective on trials that allows us to count it all joy.

This graduation from the School of Christ, as it were, brings with it a crown of life. This is not a crown designating royalty, but victory. James alludes to the wreath placed upon the head of an athlete on the occasion of his triumph. The believer’s victory, won by Christ, but apprehended by enduring to the end, is the wreath of eternal life. Those whom Christ has saved will endure to see His salvation consummated in eternal life. This is the sure promise of Christ to all who love Him.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13.7).” As those rescued from the clutches of sin and from the condemnation of eternal torment, we find in the love of our Savior an inexhaustible reservoir of resolve. Paul reminds us that, “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5.8).” It is His love which constrains us, having been shed abroad in our hearts so that we cannot but love Him who first loved us. This love endures all things.

As a state leader, it is likely that today finds you in the midst of trying circumstances. As you read this today, you may be bearing up under pressures of which few are aware. Today I encourage you to stop and consider God’s great love for you. John’s first letter says it this way, “in this is love, not that we loved Him, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4.10).” However steep and rocky the path before you may be, find strength to endure in the knowledge that nothing can separate you from “the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Blessed Endurance, Jesus Is Mine!