“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12 ESV)
Remember, brothers and sisters, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will face persecution. It will be a hard struggle, and we will face many sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction and sometimes being partners with those so treated. They may lay their hands on us, persecuting us, delivering us up to tribunals and prisons, and we may even be brought before kings and governors for our Lord Jesus’ name's sake. Even by parents, brethren, relatives, and friends, some of us will be delivered up, and some of us will be put to death. We will be hated by all for Christ’s sake. But not a hair of our heads will perish. Through our endurance, we will gain our lives.
But we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. While we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.
Consequently, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. You have a need for endurance so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised. “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:37-38) But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Therefore, let us also lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the stake, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
