PERSEVERANCE

There have been many stories about professional athletes that have gone on to win a game or a series despite injuries that may have occurred during the game. Why do they keep going? Is it just the money, or is there a higher satisfaction from accomplishing something despite the pain?

The dictionary (Encarta) defines perseverance as

Steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period and especially despite difficulties or setbacks.

In other words, regardless of the problems along the way, you keep going toward the goal. Paul wrote to the church in Rom about such perseverance…

³And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3 - 5 (NASB)

Perhaps it should be even easier for the Christian to persevere through trials and problems in this life because of the known result…life with God forever. In the perseverance of the Christian, a great testimony results that demonstrates to those without Christ in their lives the incredible nature of the gift that God has given. Not only do we have the privilege and honor of eternal life with God, but the privilege and honor of showing others what they too may possess.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. — Confucius

Here are the last few stanzas of a poem entitled, “The Race.” The entire poem may be found at http://www.bible.org/illus.php?topic_id=472

And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and hard and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.

“Quit!” “Give up, you’re beaten,” they still shout in my face,
but another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race.”

Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t give up when the going got tough!

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RESPECT

In the last several years a phrase has been used that has always bothered me. It bothers me because it teaches an inappropriate concept about how we are to treat each other. That phrase is:

You have to earn respect.

That totally contradicts the definition of the word. It also opposes God’s definition of respect and is the opposite of the Golden Rule...

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

The dictionary (Encarta) defines respect as:

to show consideration or thoughtfulness in relation to somebody or something; to feel or show admiration and deference toward somebody or something

The beginning of a healthy definition of respect is a proper respect for our Creator:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 (NASB)

We owe respect to people who teach us about God and do His work…

Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. ¹³Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:12 - 13 (NLT)

And we owe respect to others because they, like us, are God’s creation…

Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! ¹⁷Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:16 - 18 (NLT)

We are all due respect and we each owe respect to other people...

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. ⁹Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites. Ephesians 6:5 - 9 (NLT)

Being respectful doesn’t mean we have to agree with everyone. It simply means that we need to be considerate of other people’s feelings and respecting their right to be different than we are. This means, essentially, that we love them with the love of the Lord!

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VISION

The dictionary (Encarta) gives one definition of vision as the ability to anticipate possible future events and developments. If a leader wants his team to work hard for him, he has to paint the picture of what the outcome should look like. Then everyone will be working toward the same goal with eagerness.

Where there is no vision, the people perish… Proverbs 29:18a (KJV)

Without a picture of what God has in store for us, what hope do we have? If we had not read in His Word that believing in Jesus Christ would allow us to live forever with Him in heaven, could we have imagined it? Vision gives our lives purpose.

Some dare to dream of incredible things. Walt Disney dreamed of a place where people could go that would challenge their imaginations. He had a vision for a theme park that would inspire many and today, 53 years after opening the doors to the first park, there are more throughout the entire world.

When we have a vision for something that God has laid on our heart such as helping youth in a community, it can seem rather impossible. After all, think of the money needed, the people to staff such a place and other unforeseen challenges. That’s where God comes in! He is the power behind dreams and visions that are in line with His will.

When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁶And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25 - 26 (NASB)

Don’t be afraid to dream dreams. Let God take your dream and turn it into a true vision for His kingdom. He will not let you fail. He has given you a vision of what He has in store for your life.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Jesus inspired the disciples and us when He gave us a vision of what lies in wait for us…

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ²“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1 - 3 (NASB)

Close attention to the rest of God’s Word will reveal His vision for our life here on earth.

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TOLERANCE

Tolerance is a word that is thrown about quite a bit these days. More often than not, it is meant to indicate we should accept all people’s views as valid except the Christian view (“because ‘they’ think they’re the only ones who are right!”).

The Bible speaks of acceptance in Romans chapter fourteen in a most specific way…

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. Romans 14:1 (NLT)

Perhaps this is the point that causes non-Christians to be intolerant of us…we don’t seem to get along with Christians that are not in our denomination and sometimes anyone outside our particular local church. The Bible clearly indicates here that is an inappropriate attitude.

If we disagree over how or how often we should take communion, what kind of music is appropriate or what clothing one should wear to church, we should keep quiet about it! Those issues are not critical to salvation…only Jesus Christ, crucified, buried and raised from the dead for our sins…that’s all that matters. We cannot run around “bad-mouthing” other Christian denominations, churches, etc. just because they don’t agree with us. The rest of the world looks at us and says, “We don’t want anything to do with that kind of narrow-mindedness. And, God agrees with that sentiment right here in Romans 14.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. Romans 14:13 (NASB)

Whether it is worshipping on Saturday versus Sunday, grape juice versus wine or yeast versus non-yeast bread/crackers for communion…it simply doesn’t matter. You think they’re wrong and they think you’re wrong, but heed God’s word:

²²You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. Romans 14:22 (NLT)

Lift up Jesus in everything you say and do…

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. ¹⁹So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Romans 14:17 - 19 (NLT)

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DISCIPLINE

When we hear the word, discipline, we often think of punishment for a wrong done. There is another aspect to the word which actually is a preventative for the punishment side of the meaning, and that is mental or spiritual discipline. The Encarta Dictionary puts it like this,

Mental self-control used in directing or changing behavior, learning something, or training for something.

When you make yourself do something that you would not normally do, it takes discipline. For me to get on the treadmill and walk for thirty minutes every day, takes discipline.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ²⁵Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:24-25 (NLT)

I like that phrase, “…nailed the passions...” Have you ever hammered a nail into a piece of wood? Sometimes you miss and hit your thumb! That doesn’t mean you never hammer a nail again, it just means you keep trying until you get better at it.

It is much the same with spiritual discipline; you keep trying until you get better at it.

In the Old Testament book of Daniel there is an account of some men trying to get Daniel, a Hebrew, in trouble with King Darius, a Mede. They tricked Darius into signing a document that took any person who prayed to anyone, divine or human—except to Darius and had them thrown into the den of lions (Daniel 6:7). Here is Daniel’s response…

Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. Daniel 6:10 (NASB)

Notice it says “continued kneeling”, praying, etc. For you and I that might be a spiritual discipline feat in itself. But here is Daniel doing this even in the face of a horrible punishment! Of course, if you read the rest of the story you see that God rewarded Daniel’s incredible faith and discipline by bringing him safely out of the Lion’s den unharmed.

If we are to be followers of Christ, we too must have discipline in our prayer lives, the reading of the Word of God and in other areas that God brings before us. The point is we have to keep trying and not give up when we “miss the nail.” Set goals for yourself like reading five verses a day for a week. In the second week, expand it to ten verses. Your success in the small things will result in success in larger and larger things as you keep at it. Try a similar method with prayer. Start with five minutes, then ten and so on. God will reward your diligence.

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RELIABILITY

Have you ever asked someone to do something and they told you they would, only to discover later that they simply blew it off? That is the opposite of being reliable. We all want to be able to trust people to do what they say.

However, the most important aspect of that scenario is that we first make sure that we are reliable.

The dictionary (Encarta) says that reliable means…

Able to be trusted to do what is expected or has been promised.

It lists the following synonyms…

Dependable, Responsible, Trustworthy, Steadfast, Consistent, Unswerving, Unfailing

Here is an instance of its use in the Bible…

In all, there were 212 gatekeepers in those days, and they were listed according to the genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed their ancestors because they were reliable men. 1 Chronicles 9:22 (NLT)

The Hebrew word translated “reliable” here literally means, firmness, fidelity, steadfastness or steadiness. Other translations say, responsible, trusted and dependable.

⁶ Many will say they are loyal friends,

but who can find one who is truly reliable? Proverbs 20:6 (NLT)

(Other translations: trustworthy, faithful, steadfast)

You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT)

(Other translations: trustworthy, faithful, reliable, steadfast)

The Greek word used in the New Testament passages is similar to the Hebrew. Thayer’s Greek Dictionary gives the following definition:

Persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties; one who kept his plighted faith, worthy of trust; that can be relied on.

As much as we would like others to be reliable, we need to first make sure that we can be trusted to do what we say we will do. We want to make sure that others know they can count on us or rely on us to be responsible and trustworthy.

After all, we that call ourselves Christians depend daily on the reliability and trustworthiness of Christ’s promise that one day we will be with Him forever. What better pattern of reliability could we ask for than the life and sacrificial death of Jesus?

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HONESTY

We had quite a few young people come into The SPRING Student Center during the six months that we have been open and tell us that they were born in 1995. You see, the minimum age for entry is twelve years of age and word got around that meant you had to say you were born in 1995.

Well we became suspicious and investigated actual birth dates. Initial examination uncovered seventeen individuals that had lied about the year of their birth. The next time one of those individuals came into The SPRING, I took the opportunity to discuss the important of being honest and used the following verse to illustrate an important principal. Jesus said,

¹⁰“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10 (NLT)

Thought I really felt bad that these kids couldn’t come in anymore (and then there were the tears!), I sincerely didn’t want them to think that they could get away with lying about things even if they weren’t earth shattering in their consequences. That’s how bad habits develop.

The Prophet Isaiah posed the question as to who could live in the presence of God. The answer is presented immediately following…

¹⁴ The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear.

Terror seizes the godless.

“Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry.

“Who can survive this all-consuming fire?”

¹⁵ Those who are honest and fair,

who refuse to profit by fraud,

who stay far away from bribes,

who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,

who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—

¹⁶ these are the ones who will dwell on high.

The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress.

Food will be supplied to them,

and they will have water in abundance. Isaiah 33:14 - 16 (NLT)

God is holy and pure. There is nothing evil or deceitful in Him. Those last two qualities are a description of the devil, the father of lies (John 8:44). We are exhorted to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

¹ Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?

Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

² Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Psalms 15:1 - 2 (NLT)

The dictionary definition of honesty is in keeping with that laid forth in the Bible. Encarta Dictionary gives the following definition:

moral uprightness: the quality, condition, or characteristic of being fair, truthful, and morally upright; truthfulness: truthfulness, candor, or sincerity

What can be said for being dishonest? What is to be gained in the end?

For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13:8 (NLT)

The Greek word for truth here is the same word used in the following verse…

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NLT)

In other words, we cannot oppose Jesus, but we must always stand for Him. He is the Truth. He is the essence of all that is true and honest.

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HONESTY

We had quite a few young people come into The SPRING Student Center during the six months that we have been open and tell us that they were born in 1995. You see, the minimum age for entry is twelve years of age and word got around that meant you had to say you were born in 1995.

Well we became suspicious and investigated actual birth dates. Initial examination uncovered seventeen individuals that had lied about the year of their birth. The next time one of those individuals came into The SPRING, I took the opportunity to discuss the important of being honest and used the following verse to illustrate an important principal. Jesus said,

¹⁰“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10 (NLT)

Thought I really felt bad that these kids couldn’t come in anymore (and then there were the tears!), I sincerely didn’t want them to think that they could get away with lying about things even if they weren’t earth shattering in their consequences. That’s how bad habits develop.

The Prophet Isaiah posed the question as to who could live in the presence of God. The answer is presented immediately following…

¹⁴ The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear.

Terror seizes the godless.

“Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry.

“Who can survive this all-consuming fire?”

¹⁵ Those who are honest and fair,

who refuse to profit by fraud,

who stay far away from bribes,

who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,

who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—

¹⁶ these are the ones who will dwell on high.

The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress.

Food will be supplied to them,

and they will have water in abundance. Isaiah 33:14 - 16 (NLT)

God is holy and pure. There is nothing evil or deceitful in Him. Those last two qualities are a description of the devil, the father of lies (John 8:44). We are exhorted to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

¹ Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?

Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

² Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Psalms 15:1 - 2 (NLT)

The dictionary definition of honesty is in keeping with that laid forth in the Bible. Encarta Dictionary gives the following definition:

moral uprightness: the quality, condition, or characteristic of being fair, truthful, and morally upright; truthfulness: truthfulness, candor, or sincerity

What can be said for being dishonest? What is to be gained in the end?

For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13:8 (NLT)

The Greek word for truth here is the same word used in the following verse…

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NLT)

In other words, we cannot oppose Jesus, but we must always stand for Him. He is the Truth. He is the essence of all that is true and honest.

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COURAGE

In our society, we tend to think that to have courage is to be able to run into a burning building and rescue someone. Some think that courage is being able to confront the bully or someone picking on you. I won’t argue either of those points.

What I would challenge you to consider is, what is the source of your courage? Is it based in the fact that you’ve trained as a fire fighter or recently taken martial arts classes? Those things may be well and good but your courage is still limited by your abilities.

Instead, I would have you look to Moses in the Bible…

Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. ⁸“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:7 - 8 (NASB)

Our strength, ability and therefore our courage must come from a higher source than ourselves. David put it this way in Psalms 121:1 - 3 (NLT),

¹ I look up to the mountains—

does my help come from there?

² My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth!

³ He will not let you stumble;

the one who watches over you will not slumber.

David believed this to the end. Shortly before his death, he conveyed these words to his son Solomon…

Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. 1 Chronicles 28:20 (NASB)

Is there a difficult topic you need to address with someone? Ask God for His wisdom, through prayer and by studying His word. Has God called you to do something for His Kingdom? Then simply remember that He is with you and will cause you to succeed as long as you depend on Him. He will never leave you or forsake you.

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VALUES

The longer the SPRING Student Center is open, the more we come to see that many kids do not have an appropriate (or any!) sense of values, a sense of what is right and what is wrong.

Values and morals are very closely related.

Values- (as defined in Encarta Dictionary online)

1. accepted principles or standards of a person or a group

Morals- (Encarta)

1. involving right and wrong: relating to issues of right and wrong and to how individual people should behave

To save space, I’ll skip to number five in Encarta’s definition:

5. good by accepted standards: good or right, when judged by the standards of the average person or society at large

6. able to tell right from wrong: able to distinguish right from wrong and to make decisions based on that knowledge

The Bible refers to morals in First Corinthians 15:33 - 34 (HCSB)

³³Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” ³⁴Become right-minded and stop sinning, because some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.

The Holman Bible Dictionary says that morals and values are closely related to the terms,

Integrity, righteousness (Psalms 7:8), uprightness (Psalms 25:21) and blameless (Psalms 101:2).

How do we teach values or morals, what is right and what is wrong? As I mentioned earlier, it is very apparent that many of the teens that come into the SPRING have, either no apparent sense of right and wrong or a warped one at best. That is not to say that none of them does, lest I appear too critical. There are many of these teens that are polite, know when they’ve done something wrong and exhibit a positive sense of values in other ways.

Many though, have rejected even what the civil law says is right and wrong. We can see this in the numbers of teens who engage in underage drinking of alcohol, abuse of drugs (prescription and illegal) and fighting in school just to name a few.

My concern is this: how do we teach a sense of values to those that do not seem to have any? If these kids have not been brought up in the church, where do they get this sense of values or morality?

The answer of course is first to model Biblical morality while demonstrating the love of God. Then, we need to incorporate scripture into our explanation of why we have certain rules and regulations. All of that is simply groundwork to lead them to a life-saving, life-transforming knowledge of Jesus Christ.

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CHARACTER

What builds character? Do we have any control over our character or are we “just the way we are?” Can we help others to develop character?

I believe that we can help each other build character and can instill in the young what good character means. It is not an overnight experience and is not without difficulty. However, in the end, it produces quality fruit for the Lord Jesus Christ.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3 - 5 (NASB)

Young people (actually, everyone) today is faced with the world’s view of success, that being you must make more money, so you can buy more stuff. The one with the most stuff wins. Perhaps a little over simplified but I think you get my drift. The Bible cautions us specifically about that aspect of character.

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5 (NASB)

Below are 17 different aspects of character (not an exhaustive list). As you go throughout the coming week, consider how you might encourage a young person to desire one or more of these character traits. For example, how would you go about trying to show someone that being humble was the right way to be?

1. Blameless and harmless…Phil 2:15
2. Contrite…Isa 57:15; Isa 66:2
3. Faithful…Rev 17:14
4. Godly…Psa 4:3; 2 Pet 2:9
5. Guileless…John 1:47
6. Humble…Psa 34:2; 1 Pet 5:5
7. Just…Gen 6:9; Hab 2:4; Luke 2:25
8. Loving…Col 1:4; 1 Thess 4:9
9. Meek…Isa 29:19; Matt 5:5
10. Merciful…Psa 37:26; Matt 5:7
11. Obedient…Rom 16:19; 1 Pet 1:14
12. Pure in heart…Matt 5:8; 1 John 3:3
13. Righteous…Isa 60:21; Luke 1:6
14. Sincere…2 Cor 1:12; 2 Cor 2:17
15. Steadfast…Acts 2:42; Col 2:5
16. True…2 Cor 6:8
17. Upright…1 Kin 3:6; Psa 15:2

Those of us who have accepted Christ as Savior know that without Him this is more than an impossible task. However, sometimes we have to see how impossible something is before we can say, “Lord, I can only do this with you help. Please come into my life and help me be the person you want me to be.”

And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes. Galatians 3:27 (NLT)

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