Consistent Persistence Part II

After carefully reading my first post, I realized that I needed to continue with the same topic but address the reward of our persistence.  The Lord has a lot of promises in His word for those who are persistent and continue to the end regardless of all the circumstances (Hebrews 11:6 “… the rewarder of them who diligently seek him”). 

There is no way of getting around it, people are motivated by rewards.  This is something about human beings that God seems to understand; hence he has put so many promises in the bible.  Human beings love to be rewarded for whatever they do.  If there is a reward for a specific job, human beings will endure anything just to get to the end and receive their reward.  It is something very satisfying for us to get a reward, especially one that we had to work very hard to get. 

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”  God promises a season of reaping for those who do not give up.  Just like a farmer who sows and has to go through a phase of nurturing his seeds against parasites like grasshoppers, worms, thief’s that try to disturb his progress; he persists and in due season he reaps with songs of joy.  Jesus possesses this character and since we are called to imitate him, we need to have this character!  There are many promises in the bible like this one, where God has promised rewards to those who will endure and persistently hold on to the faith in times of hardships and struggles. I do not know of a person who will endure hardship for nothing, there is always a reward or something great to achieve.  Jesus knew that he had to get up every time he fell because he was on the verge of redeeming a fallen world to a gracious father, there was a great reward: “who has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God” Romans 8:34.  The awesome thing about this reward is that it greatly benefits the human race.  In our walk with Christ, we will have challenges that will try and stop our progress, won’t you allow him to help us to your feet so that you are able to get up and walk again because he has done it before.

Could it be that the reason why we abuse GRACE is because it is free?  Would we be more grateful for what Jesus did on the cross if we had to work hard for our faith in Jesus?  If you look at the pattern, most people who get things easy tend to be ungrateful, should they lose whatever it is they have, it can be replaced instantly. The knowledge of a reward for what you do is motivating and makes you appreciate whatever it is you have received.  Here are a couple of quotes that reiterate the reward after challenges and hard work: “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit” Napoleon Hill.  “There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy, and it’s only reward is that it is easy”. Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe” St. Augustine.  “To get a profit without a risk, experience without danger, and to get a reward without work, is as impossible as to live without being born.”  “Believe me; the reward is not as great without the struggle” Wilma Rudolph who was the first American runner to win three gold medals at a single Olympics.  It will not be worth it if we get it easy, getting a great reward for what we had to struggle for, gives us so much gratitude for what we have.

 I know that sometimes we ask ourselves the question that Asaph asked himself in Psalm 73:13 when he said: “Did I keep myself pure for nothing?  Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?” David has an answer to this question in Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

If you encounter trouble, struggles and hardship in your Christian walk, it does not mean that God does not love you. If you fall and you give up, you will never get up, but if you fall and you try to get up over and over again, you shall rise and conquer; and be sure to get your reward at the end of it all. 

Proverbs 24:16:“Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up. But when trouble strikes the wicked, that's the end of them.”