Author: Samantha Wy

Every person on this earth has their own individual set of struggles. We all come across hardships, but what is it that pushes us through to the other end? There is no doubt that perseverance is a must if we are to make it past our trials. 

However, as Christians, we have something that other people don’t. We have endless hope and joy in our Lord. We know that He is the truth and that He will reign victorious at the end of time. So what exactly is this Christian perseverance, and what is so special about it?

Work Overload

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that there’s always that something that needs to get done. Whether it’s studying for that major exam or keeping up with co-curricular activities. God has given us all responsibilities that get bigger and bigger as we grow older. We have our roles as students, friends, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers. In all of these roles, we must do our best that others may see God through us.

These responsibilities can easily make us feel tired. They can even push us to be unmotivated because of how much work we have. Learning how to juggle everything can be quite a challenge. 

At times it can be so hard to keep going, and the temptation to give up can be so strong, but we must remember that this is what God has planned for us. Galatians 6:5 reads, “For each will have to bear his own load”. However, as Paul writes this letter to the church of Galatia, he also tells us about how we have each other to help carry our loads (see Galatians 6:1-5). We are to “bear another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ”. 

Not the Way Out

We aren’t the only ones trying to stay above all our work and getting over the stress we feel. And so I encourage us all; don’t give up because God has given us these tasks to train us for our lives as adults and as the future of the church. Especially at school, we see many of our friends that may have quit things they just don’t like, and because of that, they have it much easier than us. But as much as it seems, quitting is not the answer. 

As odd as it may sound, we are incredibly blessed to have a pile of work. We have been given the precious opportunity to go to school and have an education. Something so mundane to us is someone’s dream on the other side of the planet. Yes, it can be hard, but we can’t give up. Not everyone receives the opportunity to go to school and do co-curricular activities. We must then keep pushing onwards and do our best in these things for God’s glory. 

It can seem challenging, but as said in Phillipians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. You can do all things, face the workload, through Christ, who is the source of your strength. 

Perseverance of True Christians

Our motives drive our perseverance, and what we strive for will affect how long we continue to work for it. If we work for something temporary, our hard work will also be so. It is sure that we will not gain a complete and everlasting pure motivation for God and God’s glory only. With our sin infected hearts, we will have motives that are constantly straying from the right path. 

Colossians 3:23 reminds us, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”. And we must do so, always asking God to give us a more concentrated motivation for Him. We shouldn’t be striving to keep our teachers satisfied or to please parents or ourselves. Instead, when we have our spiritual eyes fixated on God’s glory, we will find that we can persevere through so much more. 

As I mentioned earlier, we have a sure and everlasting hope in God. If we have experienced His unconditional love and have seen even a glimpse of His holiness, we will have a driving motor that pushes us to work for His glory. This special perseverance is to willingly and joyfully accept where we are and what we have. It is to recognize that above all our tasks, the truth is that God is sovereign. 

Whatever our struggles may be, always remember that God knows, and He has His great plan that we don’t understand. These hardships are part of His plan for us, and because of that, we must keep going and pushing onwards. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it”. God knows our limits, and when we surrender all our struggles and depend on Him, He will guide us through moment by moment. He will not forsake us. 

Looking Back and Moving Forwards

Slowly and steadily, when we walk with God step by step, we will not only be able to persevere through each challenge, but we will also be able to look back and see God’s guidance. When we meditate on what God has done and how He has led us through each day, we can see how He carefully planned every moment. When we reflect back, it also adds to our motivation and encourages us to continue living through our days with God leading us. 

Our time is not to be wasted. Too often, I have wasted hours watching pointless videos or scrolling endlessly on social media, as I’m sure so many of us have. However, it is the moment when we stop procrastinating where we can properly use our time. It’s in the daily self-denial and the small but constant decision to work where we can begin to bear our cross and strive for things of eternity. 

Keep pushing on, and use the limited time we have wisely. What will we answer God when He asks us what we did with the precious opportunities He has given us? Will we admit that we just ‘gave up’, or will we be able to say that we worked hard and used all we were given?

“Squeeze your life, squeeze your time, challenge your limits for the glory of God.”

Rev. Stephen Tong

I do not doubt that we have all been hurt by things our friends, and even family, have said or done. We all experience it to varying degrees. You might be dealing with it almost every day or maybe not much at all, but I’m sure it’s something we all face. It’s inevitable, and it’s hard, primarily when these words target things we deeply care about and our insecurities. We know the saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. This saying couldn’t be any more false. Words have great power; they either build us up or break us down. So what are we to do? How do we face our peers? What do we do with the comments and remarks?

Sin has infected every human heart, and because of that, we very often hurt each other. Whether it be the things we say or do, as sinners, we constantly live out unrighteous behaviours. As said in Romans 1:29-30, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents”. The list goes on and on. We are bound to be hurt and hurt others because of our hearts’ wicked and deceitful nature. When these moments arise, we must choose what to do and how to respond. 

Knowing Your Worth

I want to start by reminding you of the greatness of Christ’s love. Yes we are wicked. Yes, we are sinners. Yes, we constantly hurt God and by our own self we are unworthy. But God has chosen to love us, to love the unworthy. We are undeserving of His love, but it is by being in this very love that changes us from worthless to having worth. Being in Christ’s love we are transformed and are given a new identity in Him. As said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” You are incredibly precious in the eyes of the Lord. He created you, and He has not created one other person like you, nor will He ever. He lovingly sent His son to die on the cross for you, that you might have hope to be with Him and know Him. He has chosen to love us despite our unworthiness, and as a child of the sovereign God you mustn’t forget that. 

Let’s look at Isaiah 43:1-2, “But now, this is what the Lord says – He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze'”. 

Think about this for a moment. The great Creator knows you intimately. He knows all your strengths and talents. He also knows all your weaknesses, thoughts, downfalls, dark secrets and fears. He redeemed you, recovered you with a very high price. Despite knowing all this, He looks at you with mercy and out of His love He wants to redeem you, wants to die for you. He calls you by your name, and He calls you His own. And if you are truly a child of God, He will be with you wherever you go. Whatever things you will face, you will not be overcome because He is with you. His strength is made perfect in our great weakness. 

Keeping the Truth

We often forget about our worth and new identity in Christ, which is precisely what Satan wants us to do. He aims to beat us down, to convince ourselves that we are worthless. Satan can use our friends to tell us lies about ourselves to bring us away from the truth and away from God. This is right where Satan wants us to be. 

So how are we to fight this? We need to put on the armour of God. Every day we must guard our heart, mind and body against Satan’s many attacks. And so we must put on this whole armour of God daily. We need this armour to stand our ground and win against the devils many schemes. We must “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Living as a Christian, learn to stand your ground. Stand firm against the roaring lies of this world, and even if you are mocked and bruised, stay sure of your identity in Christ. Never should you seek fulfilment and approval from this world (including your friends). “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). If we seek fulfilment and approval from this world, we will never be satisfied. Giving our lives in dedication to something other than God will only end in our downfall. 

Fellow teens, do not seek approval from others and do not put their opinions deep in your heart. Instead, deeply value God’s opinion and His approval. We cannot be loved by both God and the world; it is one or the other. There is no compromise to the truth, you cannot bend the truth to please others. By changing the truth to fit in, it is no longer the truth. Proclaim the truth in its entirety and have no compromise. Not only do we proclaim the truth, but you must first accept the truth in its entirety. Accept your new identity and worth in Christ.

If we are true followers of Christ, the world will hate us. Our friends (specifically those who aren’t our brothers and sisters in Christ) will turn on us and the truth. This is stated in the Bible, and we only need to look at Christ’s life on earth to see this. 

Remember what is said in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also”. 

Because of our faith, we are bound to be excluded and talked about behind our backs. If we are mistreated because we proclaimed the truth, it is only further proof that we do not belong in this world. Those who are despised and rejected for Him, God calls His children. God calls blessed things that the world outcasts. 

Prayer and Forgiveness

I cannot emphasise enough how vital prayer is when facing these hurtful comments. Prayer strengthens us. Through prayer, we receive the protection, power, and word of God that we need to face Satan’s attacks.

I have struggled with being mistreated by people I call ‘friends’ for years now, and to this day, I still do. Finding how to deal with it was hard, mainly because it never stops. It was and still is something I face every day. It got to a point where I dreaded recess and lunch. I found myself believing so many lies my friends would tell me about my insecurities and my life as a Christian. Before one wound would heal, another wound would appear. But, it is these very wounds that we need to bring in front of God and to lay all our pain at His feet. 

Bring our scars and our tears to Him, as it is said in Psalm 56:8 “You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?”. Every struggle we have, every tear we cry, every time we are bullied or put down, remember that God collects it and holds it close to His heart. Like we discussed earlier, know your worth. Seek God and pray earnestly for Him to heal our scars and strengthen us, that we may persevere in sharing His Word. 

Pray not only for yourself but pray for those who are unfriendly towards you. They are sinners too, and just like us, they desperately need God’s grace and mercy. Most of the time, people don’t realise the total effect of their words and the power of their tongue. As said in James 3:8, “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”. 

Unfortunately, we can be unaware of our lethal words. So, be quick to forgive them, and pray for them that their hearts may be changed and God may bless and forgive them. Not half-hearted prayer with grudges, but honest prayer with the same longing we would have when we pray for ourselves. Just like Christ said when He was dying on the cross, “Have mercy on them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). For God has first forgiven us, we must also forgive those who sin against us. 

Extend patience and grace towards them, as Christ has to us. There is no denying how hurtful it can be, but as hard as it is, show empathy to them. Especially if they don’t yet know Christ, keep in mind that they are lost and searching. Perhaps they have a great struggle that causes them to do what they do. Don’t be quick to judge because we don’t know their whole story. We are not better than them, and we should never think that because, at times, we are the ones inflicting pain onto others. We also must remember to watch our words and think before we speak. Do not constantly dwell on their words, but instead dwell on the word of God. Do not lash out in your self-talk, but instead ask God to help you be forgiving and understanding. God will never let us suffer alone, for He has made you for a reason. 

Stand firm in Christ, and remember who you are. Fight Satan’s lies using God’s strength and truth. Most importantly, pray. For yourself and your oppressors, that God’s will is done and that He may be glorified through and in our lives. 

Your sister in Christ, 

Samantha

Living the life of a student – a routine we’re all very much familiar with. The usual day starts bright and early in the morning. We get ready for school, we go to school, we get back home, study, have dinner and finally go to bed. And not to mention the daily struggle with our sin and wicked desires that just seem to never end. This is the student life, five days a week, on repeat. 

At times, we feel like our lives have turned into this dreary and wearisome cycle. As a result, we stop working hard and start doubting the way we live as Christians. We start to ask ourselves; am I really living the life God wants me to live? What is the meaning of my life? Such are the questions that everyone asks. Yet, there are few who find the answers.

At school, during scripture class one day, my friends were made to answer the question; what is the meaning of human life? Like many, they weren’t able to answer. Later that day, my friends and I broke into a long discussion. I wasn’t surprised to see that nobody had a certain answer they genuinely believed in. When I told them that the purpose of life is to live for God and  His glory, they simply brushed it off as yet another ‘silly Christian story’. 

Despite knowing that true satisfaction is only found in God, my friends insisted on sticking to no answer rather than accepting the truth that our lives belong to God and that we need to place Him first in our hearts instead of ourselves. 

Oh, how wicked are we. Constantly wanting to selfishly place ourselves above all else despite our insignificance!

Designed to Work

As you might already know, it is God’s design for us to serve Him with our whole lives, and in doing so, we find true joy. Man was never made to waste time and spend whole afternoons playing video games, scrolling through Insta, or watching television. We also weren’t designed to just exist and live halfheartedly, and we should know that. We know that we should live a life that glorifies Him and enjoys Him. Colossians 1:16 says, “all things have been created through Him and for Him”. But, how can we live a life that serves God zealously and wholeheartedly when each day feels the same as the last?

Giving it ALL

Firstly, we must give ourselves wholly to God. Giving ourselves is when we earnestly and gladly say, “Lord I am no longer my own master. You are my Master, Saviour and Shepherd, only in you am I satisfied!”. Not just simply saying it in prayer but to truly know and accept that Christ has saved us and purchased us for God through His death on the cross, as said in Revelation 5:9, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” 

We need to surrender everything; our struggles, our time, our desires and all our idols that unrighteously fill the throne of our hearts. As Matthew 16:14 says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me”.”

A life of Joy in Christ

So why is it that we feel ‘bored’ and unsatisfied with our lives? 

Addressing our daily struggle in sin, when we realise the extent and severity of our sins, the answer is not to try even harder to ‘overcome our sin’ ourselves because quite frankly, we can’t. No matter how hard we try, we will never be ‘perfect’, we will never be ‘good enough’ because sin is part of our very nature. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is foolish to think that we have nearly enough strength to overcome the power of wickedness through our own strength. 

What we need to do when we see our sins is to realise and look upon our profound need for Christ our Saviour. In our total depravity, we must see the greatness of God’s grace for us sinners. We must rely on God to give us the strength to fight our sins and let Christ live through our daily lives. As Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

I have no doubt that we have all taken something for granted. Taking our life for granted is something that can cause us to feel like our daily lives are so repetitive and boring. I, personally, have certainly failed to see the vastness and bottomless well of blessings that God has given to me. I am currently still trying to see, appreciate and utilise every little thing I have graciously been given when I really do not deserve any of it in the slightest. I have looked over many things from graces like the warmth of the sun to having an education and being able to read God’s word freely every single day. 

Especially in our teenage years where we always want more, where the world is always encouraging us to want exactly what we don’t have, we fail to see what we have already been given and the endless beauty of the Lord that is reflected in all of His creation and plans. Psalm 27:4 says “One thing I ask from the Lord this, only do I seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

There is no end to what God has done for us, and when we are able to wake each morning, we are given even more grace to be able to look again at His marvellous works that constantly surround us. How can we live a gloomy life knowing that the sovereign God who created the universe has let us live yet one more day and has given us a new chance to live for Him. In our daily devotions, we should simply take a moment to stop and simply stand in awe of God and His new mercies that are given to us with each new day. 

However, it shouldn’t just stop there. Once we have seen all we have been given, it must not simply be admired and then wasted. We must utilise every little thing to bring glory back to God for what He has done. We must do our best in everything we do, that we may bring others to look upon Him. Like the parable of the talents (in Matthew 25:14–30), we are His servants who are called to work and do as much as we can for God’s glory through our talents and what is given to us. 

As young people, we must strive to have fruitful labour for the Lord and not waste the limited time that we have. Work your hardest for things that are eternal and live to the fullest for God. Most importantly, pray, fellow teens. Beg for a life that is used by God and beg for a heart that is humble and willing to obey because if we don’t live a life for God, we are living a life completely in vain.