Ephesians 6:10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
THE SAME GOES FOR YOU AND ME!!!
Paul understood that the Christian life is not a playground but a battleground. He understood, by personal experience, that the Christian life is not a comfort zone but a combat zone. Paul understood that being soft wasn’t going to cut it, but Timothy would have to ENDURE HARDNESS!
THEY ENDURED HARDNESS AS GOOD SOLDIERS OF CHRIST AND HIS CROSS!
The Calvary Road or the way of the cross has never been an easy path to trod! As we have mentioned in our two previous posts, when the apostle Paul wrote the above words above to Timothy, admonishing him to ENDURE HARDNESS he was speaking from first-hand experience. Paul knew exactly what hardness was, and he understood how to ENDURE HARDNESS. Paul suffered much because of his faith. He suffered much for the Christ that he loved and for the cause of Christ in which which he labored, both living for and eventually dying for.
Paul suffered much because of his faith. He suffered much for the Christ that he loved passionately and for the cause of Christ in which which he labored fervently, both living for and eventually dying for the cause.
Most of us are familiar with the stories of men like Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Jonathon Goforth, and a host of others, and the suffering they endured for Christ and the cause of Christ in order to reach the unreached. We are familiar with a host of others who throughout the ages have ENDURED HARDNESS!
We often read of missionaries in the past who lost multiple wives and children to sickness and on the mission field, but they ENDURED HARDNESS!
We often read of our beloved brothers and sisters throughout the ages unto this very day who suffered poverty, persecution, and immense pain, but they ENDURED HARDNESS!
We often read of the martyrs of the past who gave their lives, often after watching their wife and children give their lives first for the Christ whom they loved, and are impressed how they ENDURED HARDNESS even unto death!
We have read about them. We have heard their stories and illustrations from their lives and deaths. And for some of us, we have even preached about them and their willingness to ENDURE HARDNESS!
Yet, we can’t live in the past. They are no longer here. They have passed the baton to us. How about us in this generation? How about you and me? God has called us to be the Hudson Taylor’s, Adoniram Judson’s, and Jonathon Goforth’s of this generation?
Rather than just telling their story God desires to write new stories with your life and mine!
YES, SIR! AS WE HAVE SAID PREVIOUSLY, ENDURING HARDNESS MAKES FOR GREAT PREACHING, BUT IT MAKES FOR TOUGH LIVING!
I don’t know about you, but for the vast majority of my life, I have been pampered. Fairly nice places to live. Decent furniture, air-conditioning, refrigerators, stoves, great restaurants to go to when I was tired of eating at home, and of course, great customer service (you know the customer is always right). And while none of these things in and of themselves are wrong they have surely helped us to become “too soft,” whether we want to admit it or not.
That was a long time ago. Wonder if she would accept me today? How about you?
Possibly we need to reconsider Paul’s admonition to young Timothy today.
2 Timothy 2:1-5, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
These past 4 years on the mission field has caused me to lose 30 pounds and to toughen up a bit.