image by Karolina Przybysz
but whoever holds out till the end with be delivered.here are my short thoughts this morning on this verse:
matthew 24:13 (complete jewish bible translation)
it doesn't matter so much if we believe the right thing right now if we compromise when things get tough. it is about perseverance and steadfastness.
now a little story:
yesterday my #3 son david was learning how to ride his bike. he was having a great time peddling on the beautiful trail that runs by the sacramento rive close to where we live. then he came to a small decline, what he would call a hill, and he panicked because he didn't remember how to use his brakes to slow down. he tried to bail off the bike and ended up in a crumpled mess in the middle of the paved trail with the bike on top of him. suddenly realizing the dangers of riding a bike, he was no longer interested in what he was enjoying so much only moments before.
two lessons i see that relate this small bike wreck with this key truth in the Word:
1. if you try to bail when things get a little crazy, you will end up in a wreck. hold on through the downhill sloops of life and pedal hard during the grueling uphill stretches. if you forget how to use the brakes, hold on tight and steer the best you can. do not jump off the bike. there are terribly hard things that happen in life to everyone, there will especially be a time of pressure for one generation to come, but trying to bail on what we believe and know to be true in times of pressure does not save us. quitting when it gets tough always will cause more pain in the long run and when it really counts.
2. if you have experienced a crash in life, get back on the bike! it isn't about what you once believed to be true - it is about what you keep on believing and what you keep on living. i like this translation of the verse above because it uses the word delivered where many other translations use the word saved. sometimes there are things we may struggle with our entire lives, things we long for freedom from but have to continue to press through and fight against. do not quit. just because you fell down, don't decide that bike riding - or walking faithfully with the Lord - is not for you. it is about endurance and making it til the end and you will be delivered from all that afflicts you.
as with any verse, this can only be fully understood in its context so i encourage you to go and read all of matthew 24. i will leave you with the words of misty edwards in one of my favorite choruses she sings:
don't give up,
don't give in,
if you don't quit...
you'll win. you'll win.
hang in there and don't get off the bike!
i am linking up with barbie this week for fresh brewed sundays. do you like this post? consider subscribing to this blog and/or liking our facebook page to stay connected.
i would love to hear from you in the comments below!
charis
