Endurance: Putting the Power of God On Display

Our endurance through suffering puts the preciousness of Christ and the greatness of his power on display.

Paul prays for the Colossians to be strengthened by God's power, for endurance: "being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy." Col 1:11

God provides a way of escape from temptation (or testing) by enabling us to endure: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Cor. 10:13

Paul and Timothy commend themselves and their gospel ministry by pointing not to worldly success but to their endurance in affliction: "as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance..." 2 Cor. 6:4

Yes, God Almighty has the power to take our afflictions away. Yet he also has the power to help us endure through these afflictions, to give us patience and joy in the Holy Spirit, and in that his glory shines infinitely more brightly. Why? Because it shows the world who Jesus is to us: everything. Okay world, take everything away from me. Okay Satan, afflict me like you afflicted Job. Yes, I will grieve and weep for my losses and feel perplexed and troubled by bitter providences, but I have an eternal treasure, I have a God in whom I can rejoice always even as I am sorrowful.

This is what the world needs to see. John Piper explains: "When Jesus said in Matthew 5:11–12, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,” do you think it is random that the next thing he said was, “You are the salt of the earth . . . you are the light of the world”? I don’t think it was random. I think the tang of the salt that the world needs to taste, and the brightness of the light that the world needs to see is precisely this indomitable joy in the midst of sorrow.

"Joy in the midst of health? Joy in the midst of wealth and ease? And when everyone speaks well of you? Why would that mean anything to the world? They have that already. But indomitable joy in the midst of sorrow — that they don’t have. That is what Jesus came to give in this fallen, pain-filled, sin-wracked world."

Brothers and sisters, endure in God's power. Hold fast to the hope of a better possession, an abiding one. Remember the endurance Jesus showed on the cross, for the joy set before him. All this is preparing for you an eternal weight of glory. None of your suffering is wasted. God is putting his glory on display and commending the gospel to the world through your endurance.