Perseverance

     Perseverance. I love the analogy of a seed planted in the dirt. Each day the gardener waters it. Sometimes the weather can get harsh. Sometimes it gets really windy, really sunny, really rainy, and depending on how the gardener takes care of it and how deep the roots are, the plant will withstand the ever-changing weather conditions. 

     Why must we persevere? Why does it feel like being a Christian is so hard sometimes? Why do we feel called to love people who won't love us back and will even hurt us? The focus should not be on these questions but on JESUS. We must lift our eyes to our one and only Savior, the Beginning and the End, the Lion and the Lamb, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the GREAT I AM, the Prince of Peace, and the Almighty. When we turn our focus away from ourselves and our circumstances and put it on the Kingdom of God, the heaviness is gone!

     I am constantly reminded of Matthew 11:28-30. My birthday is in fact on November 28th, so it's really easy to remember this Bible verse. When we yoke ourselves with Jesus, who is steady, humble, and gentle, we just need to look to Him and learn from Him. Is the cross we carry to follow Jesus a heavy one? Maybe. But the most important thing is where we are putting our focus. The point isn't how heavy the cross is or how many sacrifices we are making to follow Him. The point is Jesus and His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Nothing else matters. Sometimes it feels like the joy that Jesus promised isn't fulfilling us! We must re-evaluate where our focus is. In John 15, Jesus says let us abide in Him and our joy will be full. Let us not be weary and discouraged in this walk with the Lord. Let us stop and daily immerse ourselves in Jesus!

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

-- Hebrews 12:11

    堅持不懈。我喜歡用一顆種在泥土裡的種子來比喻。園丁每天都會給它澆水。有時天氣會變得惡劣，有時會刮大風，有時陽光明媚，有時雨水瓢潑。這取決於園丁如何照顧它，以及它的根係有多深，植物能否經受住不斷變化的天氣條件。

    為什麼我們必須堅持？為什麼有時做基督徒會感覺如此艱難？為什麼我們覺得被呼召去愛那些不愛我們甚至會傷害我們的人？焦點不應該放在這些問題上，而應該放在耶穌身上。我們必須仰望我們唯一的救主，祂是起初，也是終末，是獅子，也是羔羊，是萬王之王，是萬主之主，是自有永有的，是和平的君，是全能者。當我們把焦點從自身和境況轉移到神的國度時，一切重擔就消失了！

    我常想起馬太福音11:28-30。我的生日剛好是11月28日，所以這節經文很容易記住。當我們與那堅定、謙卑、溫柔的耶穌同負一軛時，我們只需要仰望祂，向祂學習。我們為了跟隨耶穌而背負的十字架很重嗎？也許吧。但最重要的是我們把焦點放在哪裡。重點不在於十字架有多重，也不在於我們為了跟隨祂而做出了多少犧牲。重點是耶穌和祂在地上和天上的國度。其他一切都不重要。有時，感覺耶穌所應許的喜樂並沒有讓我們感到滿足！我們必須重新評估我們的焦點在哪裡。在約翰福音15章中，耶穌說，我們只要住在祂裡面，我們的喜樂就必滿足。讓我們在跟隨主的這條路上，不要疲倦灰心。讓我們停下來，每天沉浸在耶穌的裡面！

「凡 管 教 的 事 ， 當 時 不 覺 得 快 樂 ， 反 覺 得 愁 苦 ； 後 來 卻 為 那 經 練 過 的 人 結 出 平 安 的 果 子 ， 就 是 義 。」

希伯來書 12:11




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