By Thomas Spithaler

Calvary Chapel

Bonney Lake

Weekdays can be very busy. Pastoring is so definitely not a “Sunday only” job. Typically there is church-related work of some sort to be done at least seven days a week. For emergencies you are on call 24/7/365. Praise God, he provides balance, and there is great joy in seeing him work in the lives of the people around you. He brings great joy indeed. But with time being tight, despite the hectic schedule, I look forward very much to the time I spend with my kids in our Bible studies together. I want to share a bit of that with you all today.

For the first time, I gave all three children a homework assignment for this Bible study. I wanted each of them to show me something, anything from scripture that they did not know before. Wyatt, my oldest son did exactly that.

At 14, Wyatt is a young man. Growing by leaps and bounds, now nearly as tall as I am, sharp in intellect and wit. Now, with his voice changing, he sounds as though his vocal chords are maturing into Barry White’s, but he is also maturing spiritually as well.

He came to me with this passage out of James 1:12. Then he read it to me: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Then he went on to show me that even though as parents we sometimes do not see it, that God is working in his life.

None of us know how much time we have before us on this beautiful and divinely created earth. As Christians, we all have the promise of our future with bridegroom ahead of us. But in the meantime, we will face trials.

Each trial or rough spell we go through, we must persevere. Seeing and hearing this concept expressed through the experience of a new believer or a young person can be, well, a little odd. As “adults” our first thoughts (of the flesh, of course) are often, “what can you teach ME about perseverance? You’re only 14!” But when you look into the eyes of that person as they explain what perseverance means to them, you are drawn back to that simplicity of the gospel and the love that drives it all.

Understanding and waiting with anticipation for the blessing of perseverance is something we all must learn. But what that blessing might be, or what we imagine it to be, can be far different for a 14-year-old than a 45-year-old.

Even more importantly, understanding that one must persevere through the temptation in order to see that blessing can be very motivating. As any competitor knows, there is no prize awaiting you for dropping out of the race.

Life can be very hard for us. For some it is financial matters. For others it might be health or disease. Some may struggle with addictions. For still the young, or young in Christ, it might be as simple as learning not to lash out at that bully on the playground or in the gym who likes to push our buttons, or just making it through the day without forgetting to do your chores or say your prayers.

No matter how you look at it, the rewards for perseverance cannot be won any other way. Yes, we must persevere, but we must just as equally understand that to do so is to be blessed and approved of by God.

Wyatt did teach me that day. He taught me a great deal. He taught me that understanding comes from God, and that it comes in ways that others may not understand, or that others may not see. He also taught me that the love we have for God sometimes needs to be expressed in very personal ways as we mature. And he taught me that I need to be patient with the lord, and trust him to know that sometimes the work that I want to do, is already being done by him.

That short visit opened my eyes in many ways. God humbles me often. So often we have a tendency to take too much control of things spiritual that the Holy Spirit must do for us. God is so working among us. In our families, in our churches, and I believe we will see it all the more as things begin to crumble around us. Our Christian heritage in this nation is behind us.

We must persevere. We must remain humble, but we must persevere if we are to inherit the reward and be found approved by God.

The meek inherit the earth. All others inherit something else.