Saturday 25 March: Persevering until Christ returns

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A vision of hope

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Bible reading: Jude 1.17–25

As we’ve tried this week to keep our eyes on the prize – Spectate Praemium – we’ve pondered over lives modelled by the power and strength of the gospel, which enables us to live out our mission in a magnetically attractive way. Today, as this week draws to a close, we pause to have a think about perseverance – the need to keep putting one foot in front of the other, until the Lord comes.

Some of the earlier reflections drawn from St Paul’s writings can stir in us a sense of excitement, and that’s no bad thing. But soon the humdrum of life has a habit of bursting our zealous bubble. The Bible writers are aware of that, and some of the little letters at the back of the New Testament address that reality quite directly.

St Peter, for example, at the end of his second letter, urges us to hold on to our stability (think back to Paul’s prayer in Ephesians) and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3.17–18). Likewise, the apostle Jude in his marvellous letter encourages us to go on ‘building yourselves up’ and to ‘keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord’ (Jude verses 20,21). 

This is our life: to go on, day by day, growing in grace. An image that often comes to my mind is a block of ice under a dripping tap. The dripping tap of grace bores into us drop by drop, day by day, melting and moulding us. Let the tap keep dripping!

This reflection was written by Stuart Ford, from Bible Society's Supporter Relations team.