2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews12:2-3
Selwyn Hughes tells the story of Sir Winston Churchill who was late at a graduation ceremony and arrived at the last moment. When asked to speak, he got up, glowered at the audience in his bulldog fashion and after a pause said "Never... give up." After about 30 seconds he said "Never... never... give up!" and after an even longer pause he thundered "Never... never... NEVER... give up!" He then sat down while the audience gave him a standing ovation.
Perseverance is the third of Selwyn Hughes' Seven Laws. It is about persisting in faith and finishing the work God has given us to do. It is about being courageous and determined for God's Will and God's Glory.
While people like Winston Churchill are great inspirations, our most significant example is Jesus Christ. He came into our world although He didn't have to. He loved the broken and the wounded even when they failed Him. In John 17 He declared that He had completed the work that His Father had sent Him to do. In Gethsemane He submitted to the Father's will even though He would have preferred to let the cup pass from Him.
He hung on the cross when He could have called ten thousand angels. He forgave those who had hurt and humiliated Him. Right at the end He gave up His spirit - not because He had finally been defeated, but because He chose to complete the work of being the sacrifice that would forgive our sins.
I remember seeing a very striking t-shirt on a body-builder that had a picture of the Christ on the cross with the marks of the scourging and the crown of thorns. The caption to the picture was "Can you bench-press this?"
Enough said: Jesus is the ultimate hero and we can be inspired by Him.
---
--------------------------
Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
