Why does the Christian life take such endurance that we are again and again encouraged to endurance, even warned of our need to endure?

There will be hostility. There will be struggles against sin. There will be discipline. Life will not be easy. You will be attacked from without and attacked from within. You will be rejected and abandoned. You will be walking a lonely narrow road.

Jesus endured the persecution and hostility so that we wouldn’t be alone in it. He’s borne that for us too. We aren’t alone when we walk alone. Someone has gone before and comes along beside and guards us behind and dwells even within us.

When we go through something hard and God uses it to teach and train and grow us into maturity, we give thanks. We don’t run away. It’s not pleasant, but it’s for our good and it means you are really God’s child.

Jesus fought harder than any of us ever will, sweating blood to maintain the surrender of His will to His Father’s.

God is a good Father. He will only do what is needful, what is for our good. He knows best. Trust Him and submit to His course corrections.

He’s training you. He’s raising up sons and daughters to reign as heirs. There’s a future beyond this earth. God is preparing a people for Himself.

His discipline is producing fruit in our lives, the fruit of righteousness. Without good fruit, we don’t get to heaven. God is working for our salvation. He’s only after the best.

So, we take on Jesus’ attitude and we submit to God’s hand in our lives for the joy set before us, union with Jesus and our Father forever.

We run to that glorious finish, tossing off everything that’s not of God.