2 Timothy 2:10
“Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”
I admire endurance above many other qualities. Jesus who endured the cross; Apostle Paul who endured hardships I can barely imagine-nearly constant threat of death, slander and rejection from those he gave his blood and sweat for, nearly constant pressure for all the churches. Here, in this verse, he gives a key to his endurance: “I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” For the sake of others’ salvation, for the sake of their “eternal glory,” he was able to absorb all the difficulties and not quit. Amazing.
So much of life has to do with endurance. Enduring . just hanging in there, just not quitting when things get difficult. Apostle Paul says that you do this for the sake of others. When you do quit, it’s almost always for yourself. People endure for others, and quit for themselves.
I think the reason many people do not endure nowadays, and quit on their commitments has a lot to do with the fact that they’ve been raised spoiled. They grew up self-centered, and were rarely encouraged to be other-centered. There’s a book with a title that says it all. “Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled–and More Miserable Than Ever Before.” Without being other-centered, without cultivating a “for the sake of others” habit of heart, you don’t get endurance. Without endurance, life falls apart.
The life of a pastor involves much endurance. When I try to do it for the “honor of the thing” (F. Buechner’s phrase) it gets hard. But when I focus on the awesome privilege of being used to redirect people’s eternities, when I think about the fact that “they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” enduring becomes an act of love. I can do it for their sake.
i totally agree. Endurance is a rare commodity these days that we need to cultivate
Endurance is probably the most difficult character trait I can think of. It is very difficult in my own life, and from what I hear from others, it is one of the most important virtues. I read a book from a former soldier in Delta Force, America’s elite counterterrorist unit. Whereas the final test to become a Navy SEAL is Hell Week, which I think is largely a matter of enduring a great deal of physical pain and fatigue for one week and fighting through it, the final test to join Delta Force is an extremely difficult land march against the clock, bearing heavy, awkward burdens over extremely difficult terrain which one must navigate. While the the “living conditions” of the land march are far better than Hell Week, I’d say the pressure and endurance required is even greater. The author said the main thing was to see which of the officer candidates would not give up under any circumstances, even when failure and defeat seemed to be inevitable, or in some cases, appeared to already have happened.
I strongly feel endurance is not something that anyone can be born with or naturally predisposed towards with any significance, it must be bought with great effort.
You said that while we generally endure for others, but when we live for ourselves, we want to quit? I see some sense in it…but at the same time, is not the drive for selfishness much more permanent than the drive to help others?
For some time I lived with the “others-centered” mentality, but as my eyes were opened I saw more and more how that left me in a vulnerable position, easily taken advantage of and unable to help myself. I decided to help myself before helping others (as my own parents have often advised me). Sometimes I feel like quitting nonetheless, but I just think back to how it was living for others and how much I disliked being taken advantage of.
But even as an unbeliever myself, I can see what you’re saying. One day I really wanted to quit, but what got me going again was the thought of my younger siblings, and being a good big brother for them. I made a realization that day, which I keep in my AIM profile as a reminder: “I’d do anything for them, even live.”
In that sense, I can see how love and the desire to help others can be a stronger motivator than self-ambition.
Thanks for such a thoughtful and personal comment.
I do think endurance is one of the least celebrated but most crucial virtue for today. The therapeautic culture keeps telling us that feeling good about ourselves should be our paramount goal, regardless of duty, potential harm to others, and even ethics. Just this morning, I read two articles about this: http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CABF8.htm and http://www.ukapologetics.net/therapies.htm. On the other hand, it is possible to lose touch with yourself if driven by a desire to please others.
Apostle Paul provided many sources for Timothy to endure. Just looking at the verses in 2 Timothy alone, I found the following:
2 Timothy 2:3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Here, there is the sense of being a part of a band of brothers who endure together (“…with us”) all for the sake of an excellent leader—Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with him…
Here, the motivation to endure has to do with hope of heaven. If you know that it all ends well, it’s that much easier to bear the present burdens.
2 Timothy 3:10-11 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,
persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
As with anything, it’s always helpful to have models who have gone before you. Knowing how much my mother endured—war, being a refugee, laboring in the garment factories while raising 4 children in a new country—I am inspired to carry on. Thiking about the ultimate non-quitter, Jesus Christ, who said “it is finished,” helps me endure. Also, the promise of Jesus to be with me in all things provides assurance that my endurance is never alone.
2 Timothy 4:5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Finally, just the plain exhortation to endure, that this is what I am called to do, that it’s nothing surprising or unusual but part of what it means to be a disciple helps me accept endurance as a way of life.
I hope whatever obstacles preventing you from becoming a christian will be removed, and that you’ll find added strength through Christ to endure life’s difficulties.
Thank you for sharing.