The Rewards of Persistence

UV 3376/10000 The Rewards of Persistence
To those who by persistence in doing good seek (unseen but certain heavenly) glory, honour and immortality, (He will give the gift of ) eternal life.

Romans 2 v 8

Instead of nurturing our own selfish ambitions and interests, if we persist in seeking God, His righteousness in following principles of integrity in our work, communication and in our relationships, we will be rewarded in eternity. We must not give up at the first hurdle we face or even at the last. We must have the confidence that “ we shall overcome” even as Jesus overcame every obstacle, every hardship and trial. We need to focus on the unfading crown with which He rewards His faithful.

Persistence is also required to avoid the distractions and allurements of this world. Persistence pays and the persistent pray. We need the grace and empowerment of the Lord to hold onto our faith and not be discouraged on the way. Often when we see no signs of a breakthrough in what we are hoping or praying for, the enemy induces doubts in our minds. Worry and anxiety is another form of assault on our minds. We need to believe that God exists, He loves us and that He rewards the faithful despite the circumstances, what others say, despite the lack of physical evidence to the contrary. Jesus continues to be our heavenly Advocate at the right hand of God, the Father and He intercedes day and night on our behalf.

The difficulty of belief is the invisibility and intangibility of the eternal truths, rewards and blessings. We are conditioned to believe only what we see, touch and experience. If we want to change our condition, we should change our conditioning. We need to believe that what we cannot see- God and His truths are more dependable than what we see and sense. Faith requires this reversal of our reliance on our senses to relying on Jesus, the immutability of His word, the invincibility of His power. The universal human condition then changes to seeking not our earthly power, glory, immortality, honour for all these do not sustain or endure in anyone’s experience. We seek earnestly, actively and persistently His glory, becoming instruments and channels of His goodness and thereby, we find immortality and honour for ourselves. WE are the medium to carry the message of the eternal word of God, the vessels of honour to hold the treasures of God.