| By :
Ben Mester
The Bible is full of inspirational verses, many perfect for the difficult economic and social conditions facing our country today. When I'm feeling down and out, I love reading verses about perseverance to help me get out of my current slump. Perseverance is one of those under-appreciated character qualities in America today. But having a persevering spirit and attitude can really be the difference between achieving your dreams and not achieving them. I know so many people with amazing talents and gifts, but they never are able to really use them because they gave up on their dreams somewhere along the way. That scares me. I don't want to give up on what I love. So here are a few Bible verses on perseverance that have really helped me to keep on keeping on, as they say. My favorite comes from 1 Corinthians 9:24. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to win the prize." The phrase that comes to mind here is Carpe Diem, or Seize the Day. Everyone is running a race, but only one wins the prize. When the day is done, it doesn't make much difference whether you actually won the prize or not. Running with all your might is really where success is found. That's perseverance. Another verse on perseverance that I've always really loved comes in Galatians 6:9. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." That's a good verse for anyone who diligently goes about doing the right thing without getting recognized. There are many jobs that are in the spotlight and some people love being recognized for doing good, or love being in positions of authority and respect. According to the Bible, they've already gotten their reward. But those of us who aren't in the spotlight, who keep doing what the Lord would have us do even when it doesn't look like it's doing any good, this is the perfect verse. Don't give up. Persevere. I really enjoy both of these verses because neither of them directly uses the word perseverance. It's easy to do a word study and find out everything the Bible has to say about a certain word like perseverance. But it's also easy to miss those inspirational verses that carry the same spirit but don't actually use the same terminology. My last verse about perseverance is found in Hebrews 12:1. "Therefore, since we have been surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Again, the same word picture of a race. I like this particular verse because it gives the reason why we can persevere. "Since we have been surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses." If you find yourself unable to persevere, maybe you're around the wrong company. Maybe you need to find some like-minded people who will encourage you in a better direction.
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