Thought for the day – Wednesday 20th May 2020
Matthew 24 13: But those enduring to the end shall be saved
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not;
As thou hast been thou for ever wilt be.
This well known and well loved hymn was written in 1923 by an American, Thomas Chisholm.
Strange as it may seem ‘endurance’ is not listed among the virtues often contrasted with the 7 deadly sins. Nevertheless, endurance is important to us, not least because it is part of God’s character.
There is no shadow of turning with him; He changes not.
The hymn from Singing the Faith (51 tune Faithfulness) in verse 1 says it very clearly, using the word ‘faithfulness’. Read almost any page of the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament, and you will find evidence of the enduring faithfulness of God. His dealings with his people whether in Biblical times or today bear ample witness to His enduring faithfulness.
Were that not to be so, could we be sure of our salvation ?
Wesley’s hymn ‘O God of all grace’ (Methodist Hymn Book (1933) no.66 Tune Harwich) has a relevant verse –
Love moved Him to die
And on this we rely;
He hath loved, He hath loved us: we cannot tell why;
But this we can tell
He hath loved us so well
As to lay down His life to redeem us from hell.
Even when our loyalty or devotion wavers (as it often does), yet He remains faithful. Little wonder that the metaphor of a rock (speaking of God) occurs so often in the Bible. The sacrifice of His son, Jesus, on Calvary’s tree, is testimony to the faithful, enduring love of God for His human creation.
He promised it long ago, so we believe, in the words of that prince of preachers, Isaiah chapter 53 –
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Where would we be without the enduring faithfulness of the God
whom we worship every day of our lives ?
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for your enduring faithfulness.
Help me to be faithful and to endure.
In the name of Jesus. Amen