God and Grit

James 1:12 (CEV) - God will bless you, if you don’t give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.

Colossians 3: 23&24 (NIV) - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Grit: n. courage and resolve; strength of character.

Life on this earth is not easy. As you may recall, Christ told us that we were going to have tribulation in this world (see John 16:33). That tribulation is not just experienced in those “big events” in life; it is applicable to everyday circumstances. Making it to the grocery store without getting into a car accident is a blessing. Mowing the lawn without a rock flying up and breaking a window is a blessing. Your escrow process…that budget meeting…a birthday celebration – all of these things are everyday occasions where trouble can rear its ugly head.

But there is more for us than everyday things. God has a calling on each of our lives. And although He directs our paths and gives us His power to accomplish His will, it’s not always easy. Much of what we are called to accomplish can present a challenge to us spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and possibly physically. This is where grit comes in. We need to have courage, a resolve, and a focused intensity on accomplishing all that the Lord has for us.

Exercising grit means that we choose to do even those things that we can’t do comfortably. We choose to fulfill our call in the face of opposition. (You do realize that the enemy will try to oppose you every time you are working for God’s kingdom, right?) We must ask the Lord for wisdom regarding how we may accomplish His purposes when it seems like man has closed every door. We’ll go around the side, over the top, or dig underneath to get to whatever it is that God has for us. We get scraped up, we get knocked down, we may even have a limp but because we have grit we put a bandage on, we get up, and we’ll walk with a cane to get to our goal – God’s purposes for us.

You have a call. It’s not going to come easy. God’s got your back. Dig in and do that thing!

Galatians 6:9 - And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.