Honoring God takes perseverance

Perseverance is not necessarily the most popular core value. Those who demonstrate great courage receive medals and parades. The core value of being brave is honored and admired. Ingenuity is celebrated for its success. Perseverance, however, is often overlooked.

Without perseverance, those ingenious people who tread new ground would quit after one failure. Without perseverance, courage quickly shrinks back to the cowardice. Without perseverance, the brave have nothing to suffer through to demonstrate their bravery. While perseverance may not be the most glorious core value, it is the glue for glory.

Eleazar was one of the elite group of warriors who surrounded King David in battle. Eleazar was a man who understood deep within in his spirit the importance of God-honoring perseverance.

Through defiance Eleazar demonstrated God-honoring perseverance. Defiance is the willingness to contend and to fight. It is the determination within the soul to stand against your enemies and that which is evil no matter now how overwhelming the opposition is. God-honoring defiance says within our souls "I will stand for this honors God. If I die, so be it; if I live, so be it. Either way I will honor God with every ounce I have." A persevering spirit stands until the end, in many cases suffering the consequences for choosing to honor God over giving in.

Eleazar demonstrated God-honoring perseverance by standing in the battlefield when everyone else abandoned it. The Scriptures say he stood in the battlefield when the men of Israel withdrew. (2 Samuel 23:9) He stood and faced a powerful army when all else abandoned the cause. God-honoring perseverance says, "While everyone else may flee, I will stand, I will go forward. Though none go with me, I still shall follow."

God-honoring perseverance is marked by endurance. Endurance is the willingness to fight despite the weariness, to stand no matter the pain, to trust the Lord for the strength to endure no matter the outcome. Eleazar struck down his enemies until he was weary. He fought until he was too tired to lift his sword anymore.

God-honoring perseverance gives everything you have, no regrets. It pushes you past the limits you can see into the realms of faith where you not walk by sight.

Honor God this day by persevering.

Rob Hurtgen is a husband, father, minister and writer. Read more from him at www.robhurtgen.wordpress.com.