Lesson 19: Faithful in perseverance
1 Timothy 6:12-16 - www.bible.com/bible/59/1ti.6

12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,
14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.


This lesson (like these verses) follows closely after the last lesson. One must not be separated from the other. Contentment without perseverance in faith is laziness. Perseverance without contentment will be only fighting – a fight not of faith. Persevering in faith, fighting the good fight of faith, must be done on the foundation of Godliness with contentment.

When we, with this Godly contentment, take hold of the eternal life God has called us to, our life becomes focused on a single purpose – God and His kingdom. We focus on what He has for us, not just in the future but for today as well. We can stand, as Jesus did before Pilate, and tell the truth even when we know what the probable outcome will be. Jesus knew for certain Pilate would condemn Him to death, but we cannot know with such certainty what God will do through us – we only remain faithful through contentment so God’s power has free access to flow through us to do whatever He purposes.

Contentment is not built by our own power, but by God’s as we learn (and practice learning) to trust in Him for every circumstance in our life. It is built as we stop looking at the circumstance and worry over it, to start looking at Jesus and expect Him to do as He has promised in Romans 8:26-39. If you have not already memorized these verses, they are great verses to place in your heart; contentment will draw on them constantly to help you persevere!
*What is the focus of your life? Are your priorities driven by what will matter 100 years from now? Most organizations have a vision statement – an overarching purpose that is lived out in their core values and aims. Spend some time today (or soon) asking God for His vision statement for your life, and write down what He reveals to you. Develop the habit of going back to this vision as you make large and small decisions about how you’ll spend your resources – time, finances, etc.