Jesus said, "But he who endures to the end will be saved."
Matthew 10:22
The incoming freshman class was gathered in the assembly hall. The president of the university addressed them. He said, "We want you to know that only one out of three of you will graduate, if our statistics remain as they currently stand. Entering college does not mean that you graduate from college. We are here to help you and encourage you, nevertheless, the responsibility is yours."
Jesus warned that only those who endured to the end would be saved. There are many who believe for a while but do not endure in their faith. Why is that true? The Bible says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us" (1 John 2:19). The mark of a true believer is endurance.
Those who are born of the Spirit of God endure. God is at work in us. The Bible promises, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Someone may ask, "How then does God work in us?" The Bible answers that question, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). You could say that we endure because God is working endurance in us, even to endure to the end.
Prayer: Father, we praise You for working in us to will and do of Your good pleasure, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
