Wednesday, July 10 (June 27), 2024
Rom. 8:2-13; Mt. 10:16-22                                             

“He that endureth to the end shall be saved” [Mt. 10:22].  What about us: do we have anything to endure?  We certainly do.  The field of endurance is wide open for everyone: it means that the path to salvation is also open for all.  Just endure everything to the end, and you will be saved.  But in your endurance you ought to be skillful ─ or else you will endure to no avail.

First, keep your holy faith and live a straight, upright life by the faith; should you stumble over a sin, immediately cleanse your soul with repentance. 

Second, accept all hardships as coming directly from the Lord and remember that nothing can happen without His permission. 

Third, believe that everything proceeds from the Lord for our eventual benefit and sincerely give thanks to Him both for joys and sorrows. 

Fourth, learn to appreciate hardship, ─ because we greatly need hardship for our salvation ─ and develop in yourself a thirst for hardship, like for a medicine, albeit bitter, but healing.

Fifth, keep in mind that once you are in trouble, you cannot just shrug it off like a cloth; endure it as a Christian, or endure it as a non-Christian, you have to endure it anyway, ─ so, you’d better endure as a Christian: complaints don’t help, but only make it heavier, while good spirit and humble submission to God’s will lift the burden of your trouble. 

Sixth, make it clear for yourself that you deserve much worse; if the Lord wanted to do justice to you, wouldn’t you expect a lot bigger trouble? 

Seventh, last, but the most important: keep praying, and the merciful Lord will give your spirit such a strength that while others will be staggered by your misfortune, for you it won’t be a great deal.

Read more about the author