Endurance, Encouragement and Hope

I ride my bike 25 to 30 miles several days a week. It's great exercise and a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors. Once in a while I'll go further, and then it becomes challenging. Having ridden almost 1500 miles in 22 days, and knowing what that felt like at my own pace, I can't even imagine how hard the Tour de France would be.

Imagine riding a bike 100 miles or more each day, sometimes climbing thousands of feet of moutain passes, at speeds averaging 25 mph or more, for three weeks straight. It's crazy when you think about it. Every year nearly 200 riders start the Tour and only about two-thirds of them finish. The others either crash out or wear out along the way. The Tour de France is hard, very, very hard. Some have called it the hardest sporting event in the world.

In order to complete the Tour de France to must develop great endurance, otherwise the fatigue and pain will overwhelm you. You must have continuous encouragement from other teammates. You could never complete it on your own. And to keep you going you must have renewed hope every day of winning a category, a stage or at least the hope of helping a teammate win. In that way you will bring glory to your sponsors, whose names are on your jersey.

Because of the devastating effects of sin in our own lives and on all of creation, pain and suffering are frequent companions on life's journey. As a result, life is hard, very, very hard. No one gets through life unscathed. In a way it's like the Tour de France, only longer and more difficult. In Romans 15:4 Paul wrote: "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

God has not abandoned us as we face the difficult challenges of the race called "life." He wants us to have the endurance that we need to conqurer and win. He wants us to have the hope we need to survive the most difficult of circumstances. That's why he has given us His Word. As we read how He has helped others through life in the past; as we learn how He has been at work on their behalf; as we see how He has used them for His glory, we are encouraged that God will do the same for us.

He's also given us teammates to help us endure, our fellow believers, the Body of Christ, His Church. In Romans 15:5-6 Paul says: "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Together, we can overcome the challenging difficulties of life and give God glory in every circumstance.