Perseverance
Who can forget the story of the tortoise and the hare?  Pitted against each other in a race, the conceited hare naps just short of the finish line, assured that he will beat the tortoise. To his shock, the tortoise perseveres, trudging over the finish line while the hare sleeps. How like our spiritual lives: We are racing to the finish line, where we will cross into eternity. Unfortunately, in our daily drudgery and complacency, we often forget what we're striving for...and we stop running.

We cannot quit serving God and still please him. Our steadfast obedience is evidence that we truly belong to him. The Bible's most vivid illustration of this is the account of Job. In a single day, his wealth was obliterated and his children were killed. Later he lost his health. Those closest to him challenged his faith: His wife ordered him to curse God, and his friends insisted a hidden sin had brought about his woes. Yet Job persevered, remaining loyal to his faith and the knowledge of his relationship with God. God later rewarded him for such faithfulness.

Our hope in Jesus Christ is what makes us persevere, and it is through perseverance that our faith matures, and we learn more about him.

Running a race is compared to persevering in our Christian lives.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Perseverance comes through trials and pain.
Romans 5:3-4
2 Thessalonians 1:4
James 1:3-4
2 Peter 1:5-6
Revelation 2:3
Perseverance is necessary to obtain spiritual maturity.
Hebrews 10:36
2 John 1:9
One of the best, yet heartbreaking, accounts of perseverance is the story of Job. Though he loses everything he never rejects the Lord.
Job 1-42
James 5:11
We persevere and endure because of our hope in Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5
1 Thessalonians 1:3