But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. – Matthew 24:13

Very recently, like within the last year, I’ve seen a lot of who I thought were Godly people reject the Lord.  If they don’t flat out reject Him, then they teach acceptance of sins that are clearly defined in scripture as sin.  Don’t get me wrong, there are scriptures that my flesh doesn’t like, but if I ever got on here and said a certain sin was ok to commit, God was okay with it, and you’ll ultimately be alright if you continue in it . . . you should stop listening to me.  Even when I struggle with a particular sin, I at the very least acknowledge it as sin.

There are three components that seem to be a common thread with those who fall away and do not endure to the end.  One, there is this inability to see this life as brief.  James 4:14 says our life is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Yet, many who claim to be Christians want their good things in life now.  There is not much thought of storing up our treasures in heaven where nothing can destroy them.  Two, there seems to be a genuine belief that God owes them something.  They “believed” in Him, their lives didn’t change for the better, someone still died anyway, the parents divorced anyway, the marriage was still terrible, and God basically didn’t come through for them like they thought He would.  Lastly, they put their faith in people who claimed to be of God instead of God Himself.  When the people let them down, they equated that with God letting them down.  Therefore, they fell away.

The opposite is true for those who endure to the end.

1.  This life is a vapor!  I’ve been alive for 48 years and they have felt like nothing.  I can’t believe August is about to wrap up and Fall is around the corner.  If I make it to average life expectancy, and there is no guarantee of this, then I have about 29 years, or 116 changes of season left to see in my lifetime.  I would be an absolute fool to spend the rest of my life making this life as comfortable as possible.

• God is sovereign, the supreme ruler of all.  He knows the end from the beginning.  He is the author and finisher of our salvation.  He knows all that we need to go through to be molded into His image.  He has taken me through some painful things that I thought were completely unfair at the time.  But looking back, ALL of it has worked for my good.  I can look back and be thankful for the worst stuff that has happened to me.  There is no way that I’m going to walk away from Him because He allows or doesn’t allow something I didn’t think He should.  He is God and I am not.  My complete trust is in Him.

• Just because God’s people can be terrible, it does not mean He is terrible.  People that I came to know and love, who I thought had my back, who claimed to be followers of Jesus have left me absolutely decimated.  Not once did I think to reject God, nor do I think they aren’t Christians.  If you put your trust in me, then eventually I will let you down.  Your trust should never be in me to begin with.  Place your trust in Jesus . . . He will never let you down.  Even if you feel let down, He is working all things for the good.

All things don’t work out for the good for all people.  All things work for the good if and only if you love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)

Lord, it is so hard for people to see this life as short.  Help us to get it.  Help us who claim to be your followers to be the real deal.  Help us so shine our lights before men that our good deeds are seen, and You are glorified.  Give us clean hands, give us pure hearts, and let us never lift our souls to another.  You are the greatest thing life offers and I’m so sorry for ever treating You otherwise.  Send true revival to this land, Jesus!