PRESS ON...

You know ironing is not one of my favorite tasks. I don't get up each morning and think: Oh JOY maybe today I can iron! But ironing does give us a reminder of an important truth of the Christian walk. When we iron, we use heat to press out the wrinkles and make the cloth more enjoyable to see, more acceptable to wear. 

You're under heat. You feel everything pressing in on you. The pressure at home and work is enormous. You are oppressed by tempations from the enemy. You are depressed in spirit because you haven't always responded correctly. Your joy has been suppressed as circumstances steal your focus. At times your faith seems to be compressed as you grope to believe God in the dark. You think the irons of life have you just about pressed out. What's a Christian to do? 

Do What Paul did...PRESS on. Endure the hardship. God is fulfilling his promise to you as his child.

Endure the Hardship

Hebrews 12:7 (NIV) explains why. "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirit and lives. Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet..." 

We are to endure the hardship because it disciplines us as God's children. How do we endure it? By strengthening our feeble arms and weak knees. Try lifting your arms a bit more in praising God for his blessings. Try kneeling before him in time spent in prayer. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Trust him in the dark! Don't interpret things based on how you understand them. Acknowledge the Lord in every activity of your life. And he will make your paths straight...level...he'll be your flashlight in the dark. (See Proverbs 3:-6)

Expect the Hardship!

Not only are we to endure the hardship and press on, but we are to expect hardship as a child of God. Remember when the crowds were following Jesus? Instead of basking in the glory of having a huge following, Jesus turned to them and said: "If you're looking for an easy way this is not it. To follow me you have to die to self. To follow me you have to be willing to be ridiculed for right living. To follow me you must love me more than yourself, more than your family, more than anything else. Are you still interested? Then take up your cross and follow me!" (paraphrased from Matthew 16:25, Luke 9:23, 14:27) If you want to follow Jesus expect hardship and press on.

Embrace the Hardship

We are also to embrace the hardship. Right now you're probably thinking, "Now wait a minute, I can expect the hardship. I may even be able to endure the hardship. But I don't think I can embrace it like a long lost friend!" Well we should, my friend. Because the hardship means you are His child. Did you see it up there in Hebrews 12? "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children not true sons." If you don't have any hardship, any times of discipline, trial, being under heat... then you may need to stop and ask why! Every legitimate child of God will experience hardship, so embrace the hardship as a confirmation to you that you are truly his child.

Is there a heavy load of laundry in your life? Are there some wrinkles in you that God is ironing out? Well that's to be expected. Endure it, friend. Embrace it as a sign that the loving Father has set up his ironing board in your life. Do what Paul did. Press On! 

--copyright, Christianity Online, Jan Brown, 1998

Things to do while pressing on



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