Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
This passage of scripture teaches us to be persistent in our pursuit of righteousness, or in the accomplishment of anything that is worthwhile, even as it was the case with Christ. Running the race with patience as Christ did involves much more than a mere profession of faith, for it involves the cultivation of an indomitable spirit which refuses to take failure as an end result. In Jesus we observe this characteristic being manifested over and over again, for the devil was unwearied in his efforts to seduce, bribe, heckle, taunt, or even intimidate Christ into buckling under extreme pressure.
In the wilderness of temptation the devil came to Christ with the insinuation that He had been forgotten by God The Father, and so he suggested that Christ now use His supernatural power to turn stones into bread. At this time, Christ was hungry and thirsty to the point of death, and His visage was indeed marred, to the point where a very gaunt appearance, as described in the book of Isaiah, presented itself. But with His cheek bones protruding, and with the pangs of hunger chomping away at his stomach walls, He still remained faithful to God, and returned a resolute "No" to the suggestion of satan for Him to try "Plan B". Let's read:
Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently".... 14 "His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.
Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Then later on in His ministry, the devil employed another strategy to try to get Christ to buckle under pressure, and for this he resorted to the tactic of heckling, one that often works on many Christians who are faced with the prospect of unpopularity and ostracization, because of their stand for the right. The enemy deals in the currencies of applause and censure, and when he cannot cause us to crack with clapping and the approbation of men, then he has no choice bot to resort to sneering, ridicule, and gossip, by which he hopes to shake our faith. But not so with Christ, because heckling Him had the very opposite effect, for it gave Him more energy and impetus, to continue doing that which is right. Let's read:
Luke 23:1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. 11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
In our day, there are too many of us as Christians that are willing to relent, if various types of pressures are exerted against us, and there are many others, who are willing to follow Christ, only if we can get guarantees that there will be no hiccups along the way. And often when the going gets rough, we lose our energy and drive in persisting in a correct course of action, to the point where we are now ready to give up in despair. This need not be the case, if we only would look to Jesus, who wrote the book on persistence, for He refused to be swayed this way or that, but instead remained firm and resolute in the ways of His Father.
Let us therefore take our courage and energy from Christ, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, for whatsoever is worth fighting for, God will give us the necessary strength to be victorious. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this very truth, and it is the will of God that we cultivate that characteristic of persistence, for it is only those who endure to the end will be saved. Let's read:
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!