SUNDAY DEVOTION: Perseverance

Giving up is not an option

These are once again the times that try men’s souls. Every day we wake up and face a choice: to continue in the truth, no matter how difficult, or to surrender, giving up the fight in exchange for a promise that all the opposition and stress will go away.

Neither Scripture nor history ever looked kindly on those who gave up the fight. The 11th chapter of Hebrews extols the heroes of the faith, those men who maintained their belief in God and His plan even when things seemed hopeless. If Noah, Abraham, Jacob, or Moses had ever given in to despair then we would not know their names today. The one biblical character who did give up, Jonah, is a case study for how foolish it is.

After listing the great heroes of the faith, the author of Hebrews turns back to the reader:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

Our ancestors told stories of the great men of faith to, as Rich Mullins put it, “make a boy grow bold, make a man walk straight.” When English Protestants were being persecuted by Catholics in the 16th century, John Foxe wrote his Book of Martyrs to remind his brethren that they were following in the footsteps of God-fearing men going all the way back to the apostles. Today our greatest stories are those of men and women who refuse to give up no matter the circumstances.

Most of us are thankfully not facing death and dismemberment like the martyrs of old. Yet our trials are no less real. We face scorn, poverty, damage to our reputations, and the constant mental stress of fearing that we are standing alone. But you are not alone. If you are walking with God, then God is there, “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…”

But you are not alone in this world either. If you are standing firm for the truth, for traditional values, for the sanctity of life, liberty, and property, then you are standing with thousands, even millions, of other God-fearing patriots who have your back as well.

The highest priority of totalitarian societies is to make you feel isolated, as if you’re the only one harboring dissident thoughts. That is why they work so hard to censor information, lest people realize that there are many more like-minded people and together they outnumber the dictators. It can sometimes feel like that in our own society, with a full court press from the news media and influential figures, but you have more allies than you might realize.

Nevertheless, what is right and true does not depend on how many people express it. We must all be ready to fight until the end. After all, it is better to be persecuted by man for speaking the truth, than judged by God for staying silent.

Be bold this week! God and the people are with you.