Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

10 Scriptures on Perseverative Thinking

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What does perseverative thinking mean to you? Perhaps you haven’t had to endure a lot of life’s ups and downs. Perseverance might not mean much to you. Or perhaps, you’ve been put through the wringer so to speak. In that case, perseverance means a whole lot to you. It has a definition that you might not even be able to put into words.

 

Whatever the case, this means different things to different people at different stages of life. Thank God for his impartiality. He doesn’t have favorites and shows the same love to the person in the pit as well as the person on the mountain top.

 

This is why we must all learn how to persevere in the faith, regardless of life’s circumstances.

 

Why We Need Perseverative Thinking

 

We must endure hardship and keep the faith so that a lost and dead world can see Jesus through us, no matter our current situation.

 

If we as Christians throw in the towel at the first sign of trouble, then we’re not showing the world that Christ strengthens us. This doesn’t mean we can’t get emotional or passionate about our current circumstance. But it does mean that our emotions and passion are rooted and guided by God’s word.

 

Our great commission is to go and tell the world about the good news of Jesus Christ. We can be just as effective in the valley or on the mountain top. It’s a matter of faith and diligence to always be willing to praise His name.

 

What Does the Bible Tell Us About Perseverative Thinking?

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The Bible isn’t silent on this topic either. There are numerous stories and scriptures on perseverance guiding us in this area. From Adam and Eve in the garden to Jesus on the cross, the Bible is packed full of people enduring hardship and continuing in the faith.

 

We can use these examples to help us as we navigate life’s troubles.

 

We can also lean on each other for help. As Christians, we’re tasked with loving and caring for the brethren. We must help each other through this thing we call life. In all of its glory and grit, we should lean on each other for guidance and encouragement.

We’re not meant to travel this road alone.

 

There are numerous scriptures and devotions on perseverance, but Devotable has compiled a devotional on perseverance from various authors about various struggles in an effort to help guide people through this life journey. From illness, death, parenthood, relationships, and more, it helps to know that you’re not alone in this journey. We have friends and Christian brothers and sisters that can help us, come beside us and put their arm around us.

 

Scripture and Devotions on Perseverative Thinking

 

So for those of you that are hurting and need encouragement to persevere through these trails, here are 10 scriptures on perseverance to help guide you. Let the Bible speak to you and the Holy Spirit strengthen your faith as you read His word.

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:2-4

 

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9

 

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. – Romans 8:17-18

 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. – 2 Corinthians 4:8

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. – John 16:33

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. – Hebrews 12:1

 

But they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they will run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9

 

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. – Psalm 34:19

 

I have the privilege of occasionally writing for Devotable, a Christian online daily devotional project.  It’s an app and a website with new inspirational content every day.  The authors of Devotable have worked together to write a book on Perseverance.  I am beyond excited to be published in this compilation and hope you will all consider ordering a copy – or many!  You can find info on the book and ordering details at https://devotableapp.com/perseverance.   I’m also pleased to host the creator and owner of Devotable, Landen Melton, as a guest blogger today!  

 

Bio

Landen is a web developer by trade and and online entrepreneur by passion. He is the owner and creator of Devotable, an online Christian daily devotion project. Together with over 100 talented writers, they create inspiring devotions that help encourage believers and share the good news of Jesus Christ daily.

 

Learning to Lament

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The weight of this sad time we must obey;

Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.  – William Shakespeare, King Lear

 

This blog has been a place of processing, learning and growing through the hardships and trials of the last two years.  And two weeks ago, I shared that I was in a new place – a better one – even if my footing still felt a little fragile.  So when Tyndale House Publishers graciously provided me a copy of The Louder Song:  Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament by Aubrey Sampson, it piqued my interest.  But my honest thought was that I didn’t really need this as my disposition toward God and my family’s situation was improved.  But I was wrong.  I needed the truths of this book.  And if you don’t currently need this message, at some point you will.

 

I now agree with the author 100% when she wrote, “In my youthful naivete’ I believed that hardships were supposed to be the exception to life, not the rule.  But suffering is not an exception, after all.  It’s not a surprise.  It’s not an interruption to an otherwise easy life.  The older I get, the more I realize that no person is untouched by some level of pain and heartache, big or small.”  I believe we, the global church, have a skewed idea of what it means to “Rejoice in the Lord always“.  And because of it, we are uncomfortable with pain and grief – our own and that of other people.  Laments are an overlooked form of prayer and worship.  In studying the laments of the Bible (Job, David, Jeremiah and more), we learn that laments bridge the gap between “current hopelessness and coming hope”.  There’s hope because “we don’t lament to a void.  We lament to the God who wants our laments.”

 

What is lament?  A pouring out of our hearts to God.  It’s an invitation to stop pretending we don’t suffer, to stop avoiding our big feelings and let go of control.  Most believers in Jesus Christ, and even some non-believers know that God is not an agent of pain, evil or death.  But in this broken world, we need to be able to admit that it’s often hard to make sense of a God who is able to stop pain, evil or death and sometimes doesn’t.  So how are these types of questions…the “why’s?”, the “how longs?”, the “where are you’s?” worship?  Because we still take them to God.  “Lament is the art of trusting God no matter what he gives, no matter what he takes.” 

When we cry out to God, we trust Him with our feelings, even as we struggle to trust Him with the circumstance. 

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“You get to feel what you feel and don’t have to try to force yourself to transcend the moment as you lament.  In fact, you don’t have to do much; just let him love you – you and all your mixed emotions, too.  God’s love will transform you.”

 

God is big enough to handle our doubts and frustrations.  He isn’t one bit threatened.  He created our finite minds, in fact.  It’s true that He wants our worship, but not just for worship sake.  He wants us to come to revere Him and honor Him because we know Him and His character.  That takes experience with Him and it means relationship with Him.  “If we never acknowledge our pain to God, we will never truly know what it means to praise him on the other side of suffering.  It is in our honest crying out to God about our pain that our worship of God grows more authentic…Lament is part of the rhythm of a deepening relationship with him.”

 

True confession:  When I read non-fiction books, I never read the questions in the back of the book that are sometimes included for groups.  This subject matter was so interesting to me that I read and wrote out answers to every one.  I found catharsis and incredible wisdom – even in the appendix.  I am not overstating the importance of this book to say when I say that I feel much better equipped to handle my pain and the pain of others after spending time between these pages.

 

*As a reminder, all links are affiliate links and if you purchase anything after clicking on them, I will receive a small commission to help with the costs of operating this blog at no additional cost to you.  Thank you in advance.  

 

 

 

She Loves

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Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash

With Valentine’s Day around the bend, my mind went down a love rabbit hole today.  When my sweetie and I got married, 20 years ago now, his ex-wife gave us a copy of The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman.  Kinda thoughtful/ kinda awkward/ a little weird.  I can really go any way on it, but I knew it was a good book.  I read it and self-diagnosed my love language as “Receiving Gifts”.  If you haven’t read the book, this means I feel most loved when I’m getting presents.  As a Christian, I always felt a little awkward about this.  It sounds selfish right?  “It is more blessed to give than to receive”, right?  But in this instance (and maybe only this one), Kanye said it best.  “I ain’t sayin’ she a gold digger.”  Or something along those lines that I’m not cool enough to pull off.  For me, it was really the idea that someone thought about me when I wasn’t even with them that made me feel special.  The gift could be nothing more extravagant than a card or my favorite candy bar.

 

I explained the 5 different languages to my husband and he immediately assumed that the way he feels most loved is through physical touch.  I’m not sure that’s true.  Most guys probably think their love language is physical touch – if you know what I mean.  But this category is a lot more about non-sexual touch than it is sexual.  I decided to look this book up online today (I no longer have it) because I started to feel like my initial assessment of myself had changed.  And did you know there is now a quiz you can take?  Check it out at 5lovelanguages.com.  Sure enough, the test showed I most appreciate “Words of Affirmation” with “Receiving Gifts” a close second.  So basically I am a walking, breathing example of those t-shirts that say, “Buy me something nice and tell me I’m pretty.”  Good grief.  But in all seriousness, I do think it is interesting to learn more about how we receive love messages and I think I’m going to get my husband to take the quiz.

 

The Five Love Languages book made me think of the Sandi Patty song, “Love in Any Language”.  If you are unfamiliar with it, here are the lyrics to the chorus:

Love in any language

Straight from the heart

Pulls us all together

Never apart

And once we learn to speak it

All the world will hear

Love in any language

Fluently spoken here

 

That’s a message the world needs to hear right now.  At which point my mind made a right turn to the words of Priscilla Shirer I read this morning in her book Awaken:  90 Days with the God Who Speaks.  “Pray that He would make you sensitive enough, discerning enough, and interested in other people enough to sense when He is moving you into position to be a caring solution to their needs.”  That sounds like love to me.

 

When all is said and all is done, I hope that what I said was Love.  And what I did was Love.  

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Heavenly Father, I know I get it wrong so much of the time, but mold me and refine me so that the first thing others see in my actions is Your Love; and the first thing others hear from my lips is Your Love.  If I never accomplish anything else, may it be said of me, “She loves.”  Amen.  

 

At the end of the rabbit hole, I want to wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

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