The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in James 1:12,
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
James tells us the person who perseveres through the trials and difficulties that come are those who receive "the crown of life", that is, eternal life. He is not telling us we earn eternal life by muscling our way through the difficulties in life, but that our perseverance through those trials manifest we have eternal life as a possession. When I gave my life to the Lord, there were no physical indications I became saved. My hair and beard didn't turn white like Moses in the movie "The Ten Commandments", I didn't develop a visible halo over my head or begin to exude some form of supernatural aura. Chakra colors of well being and "balance" didn't magically appear and my apparel didn't suddenly transform into the latest fashion statement of the TV evangelists.
I can say that I felt a dramatic and intimate moving of the Holy Spirit within my body when I responded to the gospel message. Years later, a friend's wife described it perfectly as though it was like being hugged in love by God himself. Yet, feelings can be deceiving. We can be deceiving. Not only to others but to ourselves as well. One of the true marks of a believer is perseverance.
Why is perseverance a manifestation of salvation pointed to by the New Testament writers? Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 1:8-9, "He [Jesus Christ] will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." When we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, we become a part of his family. As such we will never be lost from his family. While we await his return, Jesus Christ himself keeps us strong until we arrive safely in the resurrection. Paul reassures us of this as it is based upon the faithfulness of God himself, "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."
In John 10:27-30 Jesus says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." When we become a part of Jesus' flock, we will never be lost. He is the faithful Shepherd. Although many may claim to have become a part of the family of God for a variety of reasons, John tells us how we can know: perseverance. "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." 1 John 2:19.
The writer of Hebrews speaks to this mark of a believer, "We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." Hebrews 3:14. This is one of the true marks of a believer: believers persist and persevere.
I join with Jude in his wonderful doxology that touches on this: "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
Even as a believer, I cannot keep myself from falling. But God can. And he does!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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