“And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” Jeremiah 32:38-41
God demands a lot of his followers, but what he demands of us he promises to do in us. This Christian life is more of a partnership with God than any kind of solo effort. He invites us to a race and then runs it with us. He won’t make us finish or win the race for us, but he will do all he can to give us the strength we need to continue. It’s not all grit and self-discipline. All the glory for any success we have goes to him. He’s running alongside of us encouraging and empowering us to stay on the track.
He’s the ―God who gives endurance, (Romans 15:5). We can’t take any credit for continuing to follow him. We never could. He beckoned us in the first place and continues to beckon. I know that in my case, he loved me first and showed himself to me long before I had any clue about him. And now he keeps after me, coaching me on how to persevere along the way.
barney wiget 