The devil is no myth.  He is more than a Halloween costume.  He is a real, personal being who is on the attack against man (1 Peter 5:8).  He lives to devour and destroy souls.  How can we overcome him and his attacks?  That has been the focus of our blogs this week and we shall continue with it now.

We have seen that assembling with saints, keeping hope before us, and examining ourselves regularly can all help us avoid apostasy.  Something else we can do; something we must do, is run the race of Christianity with endurance.

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)
¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

The Greek word for endurance in this passage is one of my favorite New Testament words.  The word is hypomonē.  Thayer says it describes “the characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

The reason this is one of my favorite New Testament words is because it denotes more than just endurance, it refers to enduring in a specific way.  Strong’s Greek-Hebrew Dictionary says it is not just endurance, but “cheerful endurance.”   It gives us a picture, not of someone who grits his teeth and bears the problems of life, but rather someone who conquers those problems joyfully.  I like the way William Barclay put it.

“Hupomone is not simply the ability to bear things; it is the ability to turn them to greatness and to glory.  The thing which amazed the heathen in the centuries of persecution was that the martyrs did not die grimly, they died singing.”

This is a characteristic that Jesus expected citizens in the kingdom to possess.

Matthew 5:11–12 (ESV)
¹¹ Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Why is this characteristic so important if we want to finish the race?  It is important, even critical, because this is not a race that is run on a brand new track with all of the modern technologies built into the surface.  This is a race that is run on treacherous terrain and precarious pavements.  A race that involves a course with potholes and pitfalls, curves and zigzags, and winding roads that are long and laborious.  There are many uphill climbs and downhill collisions on this course of Christianity.  There are bumps and bruises, crashes and smashes that must be sustained in this race.  This is not an easy race, and if we are to make it to the finish line, we must have endurance.

Paul knew that having endurance was necessary to avoid apostasy so he encouraged the saints at Corinth to be steadfast.  We should take heed to his words as well.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)
⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.