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Bible in a Year :
Zechariah 9–12 , Revelation 20
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12
Twelve-year-old Lee Adianez Rodriguez-Espada was worried that she’d be late for a 5K run (just over 3 miles). Her anxiety led her to take off with a group of runners fifteen minutes earlier than her start time. She didn’t realise it, but they were participants of the half-marathon (more than 13 miles!). Lee Adianez fell in pace with other runners and put one foot in front of the other. At mile four, with the finish line nowhere in sight, she realised that she was in a longer and more difficult race. Instead of dropping out, she simply 3d615ef9 kept running. The accidental half-marathoner completed the race and placed 1,885th out of 2,111 finishers. Now that’s perseverance!
Like that story, I would also like to tell you about how while undergoing persecution, many first-century believers in Jesus wanted to drop out of the race for Christ, but James encouraged them to keep running. If they patiently endured testing, God promised a double reward (James 1:4, 12). Firstly, “perseverance [would] finish its work” so they could be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v. 4). Secondly, God would give them the “crown of life”—life in Jesus on earth and the promise of being in His presence in the life to come (v. 12).
Some days the Christian race feels like it’s not the one we signed up for—it’s something longer and more difficult than we expected. But as God provides what we need, we can persevere and keep on running.
Questions to answer & Pray
1) What difficulty are you enduring right now?
2) What can you do to remain faithful to God as you undergo testing?
Dear God, my legs are tired, and I feel like giving up. Please strengthen me.
