te-na-cious

te-na-cious
Adjective: Not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action.

"And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." - Acts 5:41

Tenacious...isn't that just an awesome word?  Are there tenacious followers of Christ out there?  Those who are not easily discouraged, that persist, that stay the course no matter the opposition.  Those who fight for the heart of their King Jesus.

Have you ever asked yourself, "What do I fight for?"  It is easy to give up, it is easy to be "soft" followers of Christ.  To be tenacious is hard, it takes effort, hard work, and underlying it all is commitment.  We must believe the words of Paul when he says, "To live is Christ and to die is gain," if we are to be tenacious.  This life will present many obstacles that will get us discouraged and many times we feel like giving up.  Many times we like to sulk, mope, and stay in a state of self pity.

When can only be tenacious, to not easily be discourage, and to persist when its all about Christ and His Kingdom and not about us.  Just as the apostles in Acts did not cease teaching and preaching no matter what obstacles they faced.  They were committed, determined, and sure of the eternal future with Christ and that was their goal.  There hope was in Christ, not their kids, not their job, not their financial security, and not their spouse.

Discouragement will come in all shapes and sizes.  From many little things to one big thing our plans, our hopes, and our dreams can come crashing down.  What will you do when these things happen?  Will you fight for your King?  Will you run and hide?  Be tenacious, fight the good fight, and stay the course because Jesus is worthy.

Mountains & Valleys

“I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” - Psalm 121:1-2

How are you letting your mountain top and valley experiences shape your life?

It is truly amazing to be on a mountain top. To reach the peak or summit is a breathtaking experience. However, as we have all experienced life has many struggles which are going to take us right back to the valleys. The trials and testing that come at these times are when we struggle the most. How long does it take you to climb back up the side of the mountain?

The first few times we attempt to reach the peek it can be exhausting both physically and mentally. It can be a challenge to keep going, it may cause us to puff and pant just to get back to the top. If we take the time to train ourselves, our bodies become physically adapt to what we are putting them through and so the journey is a lot less exhausting. This is the same for our spiritual lives. We can find ourselves constantly in the valley fighting to get up to the mountain. This is largely in part to us trying to reach the top in our own strength. We need the power of God in our lives, to fight sin, to overcome adversity, and to live a joyful, effective life for Christ.

Instead of always running to the peek of the mountain glancing at the view and then turning around and ended up in the valley again why not seek to live life on the mountain top? At the top of the mountain you can see the beauty of life, you are ultimately closer to the creator of the outstanding view. Would you not much rather live life with your eyes fixed on that than stuck in the valley where all you can see is trees and the mundane things of life? Allow Christ to rule and reign in your life, rely on his power working in and through you and enjoy the view.

Further Reading: Psalm 23, 121

Foxholes

Have you ever been in a foxhole?

Foxholes were made famous during war times, they are the bunker you sit in as the bullets fly overhead and things all around you are blowing up. Often times in life we can find ourselves in what could be considered foxholes. Many times we feel like things are blowing up all around us. Life is not easy and many times we experience hard times that could include a loss of someone close, financial crisis, broken relationships, and many other things. You could consider these times the foxholes of life. At church this morning our Pastor talked about how foxholes make lasting friendships. Many times in life I tend to complain, get frustrated, and sometimes try to drown my sorrows away during these times. I am learning more and more that I need to embrace these times.

"...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

When we choose to embrace these times our relationships with those in the foxhole grows. The first thing I needed to realize is that Jesus is always with me in the foxhole. If I choose to embrace my Lord and Saviour during the foxhole times my relationship with him drastically grows. When I think back on my life the friends and family that went through some really rough points in my life with me have the strongest relationships with me. When the world seems to be beating you down, bunker down in the foxhole with the God of the Universe and grab some brothers and sisters in Christ to fight with you.