Survive Versus Enduring

I have some extra time on my hands so I decided to start going to the parks writers club.  My first meeting will be Friday.  I asked my neighbor across the street about the writer's club and in the course of the conversation she told me the topic this week is to write about something I survived.  Nothing came to my mind.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really have no story about survival.  Then I decided to look up verses in the Bible that have the word survive in it.  None came to mind so I looked in my study Bible's concordance and I could not find the word survive.  I got online and checked Strong's concordance and the word survive was not in there either.  I decided to look up the word survive in the dictionary and the definition that I thought best fit was; to endure or live through.  There are several verses in the Bible about enduring, to endure and endured.  So I looked up endure in the dictionary and the best definition I found was; to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo. 

I think it is interesting that as a Christian we don't survive our circumstances, but the best word is that we endure.  We are sustained without impairment or yielding because we have a mighty and faithful God.  It goes beyond just living through and is so much more.  Shadrach, Meshac and Abindigo did not just survive the firery furnace they were sustained without impairment or yielding because their God was in the furnace with them.  When Daniel was in the lions den he did not just merely survive it, he was sustained without impairment or yielding.  When David was being chased around by Saul, who was trying to kill him, David did not just survive it, he was sustained without impairment or yielding.  I think that is exciting.

If you are going through a tough time and are a Christian I hope you are encouraged by the thought that you will not just survive, but you will be sustained without impairment or yielding.  Enduring the trial always brings forth fruit and brings glory to God.

Colossians 1:11  being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.