As a leader do you ever think about how long you will serve in the position you are in? I know we have no idea what God has for us in the future, but one thing we know, as long as we are His children (and for a Christian that is from the point of salvation to forever!) we are to serve Him…out of love for Him and to bring Him glory. So, since that means life long, we better think about how we will endure to the end.
Recently our vice president, Dr. Eric Geiger, preached in chapel. He taught on Galatians 3 and he honed in first on verse 3:
“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?”
Paul was reminding the believers in Galatia that it was by grace though the Holy Spirit’s power that they were saved. Why then, would they seek to then live and work in the flesh… their own power? It was futile!
“It’s the grace of God that saves us, the grace of God that sustains us, and the grace of God that sanctifies us.” -Dr. Eric Geiger
We don’t deserve salvation but God’s grace offers it to us. Our endurance is based on God’s grace and on God’s Word. And its foundation is our hope in Christ’s return as we read in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 says this:
“We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul commends the Thessalonians for enduring though persecution because of this hope.
Leaders, do you want to run the race until your race is over? I do. I do not want to stop short of the finish line for any reason. I want to be like the cloud of witnesses we read about in Hebrews 12:1-2:
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”
These witnesses (check out Hebrews 11 to see who the author is referring to) kept their eyes on Jesus… the hope of Jesus, the eternity of Jesus in heaven at God’s right hand. These heroes of the faith had what I like to call a “But God” faith. No matter how difficult the situation is we can always say, “But God.” With Him there is always a way to continue following and serving as long as we have breath.
Come back Monday for Part 2.
