2 Timothy 2:10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

Are you “willing to endure anything” if it brings the salvation of those that Christ puts in your life? This is a challenging question to me personally. I have a natural tendency to avoid pain, avoid pressure and avoid choices that increase the odds of difficulty coming to my life. However, it could be that by embracing the difficult challenges that God puts in your path that God will open the door to reaching more and more people for Christ.

To finish a race of any distance requires endurance. Between the starting line and the finish line there are always plenty of opportunities to give up, turn around or decide that the prize is not worth the pain. This is true for endurance runners training for a marathon and it is true for believers who want their lives to count for Christ.

The apostle Paul was definitely a spiritual endurance runner. He endured a lot for the cause of Christ. However, his goal was not to avoid pain. Paul’s focus was that his endurance would accomplish the work of Christ in and through his life. It has been said that our lives whisper the gospel in good times but our lives shout the gospel when we endure through hard times. Paul wanted his life to shout the good news of Jesus and therefore he resolved to endure anything that would bring the message to the surface of his life.

Today’s Challenge: Consider that your faithful endurance through your present problem may be an opportunity to give God glory and present His Word to a watching world.