SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/4/2017
10:42 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
Endurance
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Colossians
1:11b
Message of the
verses: “strengthened with all
power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness
and patience; joyously”
“1)
Steadfastness, constancy, endurance
1a)
in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate
purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and
sufferings”
This is the definition of the word “steadfastness” from
my Online Bible Greek/English dictionary as this word speaks of endurance, and
this is the last result of true spiritual knowledge which is joyous endurance
of trials. I suppose that if you are
looking at an example from Scripture, other than that of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we could look at Acts 16:25 “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” This speaks of Paul and Silas in a Philippian
jail after they had been beaten when according to law they should have not been
beaten, and yet they still demonstrated “joyous endurance” under this trial.
We have looked at the definition of the word
steadfastness but John MacArthur writes that this Greek word is closely related
to the Greek word makrothumia which
is translated as patience. “If there is
a distinction, it is that hupomone
refers to patience with people (Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament [Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1983]…Both
refer to the patient enduring of trials.”
Believers can endure through these kinds of trials by
knowing the Word of God and trusting the Holy Spirit of God to see them through
different trials. We can endure these
trials with joy and with that we want to look at the book of Hebrews which
speaks of this in the life of our Lord. “1
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us
also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and
let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against
Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Now when I look at verse eleven in the NASB there is a
paragraph divide, but the paragraph divide comes in the middle of a
sentence. John MacArthur writes
Commentators are divided on whether meta
charis should be connected with verse 12.
It seems best, however, to connect the phrase with verse 11. ‘Giving thanks’ (v. 12) already includes the
element of joy. Knowledge of God’s truth
gives us the ability to endure trials joyously, as did Paul himself (cf. Acts
16:25).” We already look at that verse
earlier. The Greek “meta charis” which we quoted earlier literally means “with joy.”
MacArthur concludes this second chapter in his commentary
on Colossians by writing “It was Paul’s constant prayer for the Colossians that
they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. He knew that only when believers are
controlled by that knowledge can they walk worthy of the Lord and please
Him. Paul knew further that such
knowledge was required for a fruitful life, spiritual growth, strength, and
joyful endurance of trials.”
1/4/2017 11:06 PM
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