“..so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”                        (1 Timothy 6:11b)

I hope that none of you encounter a hungry, man-eating bear today.   However, if you do…whether you chose to run away…or whether you chose to stay and fight…perseverance is going to become VERY important to your survival.  It’s not enough to  run away from the bear…to survive, you have to be able to run longer and further than the bear can. (or as the old joke goes, longer than the other folks the bear is chasing).  It’s not enough to shoot a charging bear, you need to be able to KEEP shooting the bear until it stops moving.

I’m sure that’s why the Apostle Paul included perseverance in his list of crucial things that he wanted his apprentice Timothy to pursue as he ran away from sin.  Running away isn’t going to be effective unless you can make it to the finish line.  Fighting without making it to the final bell is simply called losing.  That’s the secret of perseverance.  Perseverance is a vital element in nearly every area of a life focused on following Jesus.

The “secret” of HOW TO persevere is a little more practical…a little less theoretical…a lot more hands-on.   The secret to persevering in any situation is simply to keep going.   Keep going when:

…it’s not convenient.

…you are too tired.

…you are not qualified.

…the experts say it’s impossible.

…”no one else would put up with this”.

…it’s too hard.

…it’s too much.

…everyone else in your situation has already quit.

That’s the secret to perserverance.   God be with you as you meet your bear today.