Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Matthew 9-10
Matthew 10:22
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
To understand the last phrase of today’s verse one must understand the word endure. An enduring love is a love that never ends. An enduring novel is a novel that stands the test of time and is as popular at any time as it ever was. You see, some things endure forever. For example, God’s mercy. It may be a surprise that in the Word of God the phrase “his mercy endureth for ever” is repeated forty-one times. Sprinkled throughout the Bible there are some other things that we hold dear that will endure forever, namely, The Lord, the goodness of God, His name, His seed, His truth, the glory of the Lord, His righteousness, His truth, His judgments, His dominion, and the Word of God.
According to today’s verse His persecuted servants could be added to that list. For it is not that His servants have it within themselves to “endure to the end,” but that He has it within Himself for them to do so. Basically, it could be said that God’s true servants, born again of the gospel and empowered by the Holy Spirit, will endure to the end. It is not a matter of if they will, but that they will. This is proof positive of the true servant. The hireling will not endure the persecutions to come. They will be overcome. But those who are His true and faithful servants will endure to the end; meaning either the end of the persecution or the end of their persecuted lives.
Many have taken it upon themselves to serve the Lord, but because of manifold persecutions they have ended that service through acquiescing to the pressure of the persecution. Consider Matthew chapter 10 in its entirety. The Lord clearly lays out the manifold persecutions that will come to His best servants. Money will be an issue, people who are unworthy of God’s servants will be encountered, rejection, wolves in sheep’s clothing, men in general, governors, kings, arrests, and trials wherein they must testify. If those aren’t enough, their siblings, their parents, or their children may rise up against them. In fact, Jesus said that they would be hated by all men for His name’s sake.
In these persecutions some endure, some do not. What makes the difference? The simple answer could be, God in them. For these who suffer great persecution believe all that Jesus said about such. He gave them these promises, one day it will all be made right, for there is nothing covered that will not be uncovered. Their bodies may be martyred but never their souls; concerning Hell, they have no fear. He also promises that He will take care of them, just as He takes care of the birds in the sky. He knows so much about them that He knows how many hairs they have on their head. And as the coup de gras, He will confess them before His Father in Heaven. Wow! On and on the chapter goes with precious promises to God’s choice servants.
One last thought. No servant of God will know how they will respond to persecution until they are persecuted. In a strange way, persecution, and one’s endurance through it, is a huge proof of their true standing in God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Dr. William T. Howe
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