Articles for tag: Perseverance

January 4, 2017

Christian Standard

True Grit

By Jim Tune Much has been written about the psychology of success. Is it talent that enables success? The right connections? A positive mental attitude? In the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth argues that most success stories come down to one vital element: endurance. Toughing it out. Grit. Talent, Duckworth claims, is overrated: “We inadvertently send the message that these other factors””including grit””don”t matter as much as they really do.” Duckworth writes: To be gritty is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an

November 9, 2016

Christian Standard

Do It Again

By Jim Tune The hardest part of life, one preacher said, is that it”s so daily. Every day the bed needs to be made. Breakfast needs to be cooked. Dishes, dusting, work, and sleep demand our attention every single day. The same with ministry. Many of our churches need hundreds of volunteers to operate every week. The numbers vary depending on the size of the church, but every church needs people to show up and do their job. There”s not much glory in showing up faithfully, but without it we”re sunk. We get tired, though. The thousandth time a husband

May 18, 2016

Christian Standard

The Edge of Fear

By Jim Tune A great power is unleashed when a person confronts her worst fears and steps out in faith anyway. As an example, consider Katharine Graham. She ran the Washington Post during the Watergate era, taking on President Richard Nixon and the White House at considerable professional risk. Long before Watergate, Graham was a 46-year-old housewife when her husband, Phil, committed suicide in 1963. Though grieving, she took control of the family company at a time when there were few women in senior positions anywhere in the corporate world. She was, in a word, terrified. She had no female

March 7, 2016

Christian Standard

Are You Sure It”s Time to Move On?

By Susan Lawrence Sometimes we think we”re done. It”s time to move on. We”re ready to be finished with a season because we”re exhausted or we see a better offer. Things aren”t going well, or things are going exceptionally well. For whatever reason, we assess (or rationalize) that God is prompting us to take a step away from where we are and move on to something else. When this is the case, and we”re ready to go, it”s hard when we sense God saying, “Wait just a minute.” It happened to Simon in Luke 5. Simon and other fishermen had

December 23, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Joy: December 23

By Becky Ahlberg Wednesday, December 23 Read Hebrews 12:1-3.  “For the joy set before him he endured . . .” (v. 2). Is there a more graphic reminder of the purpose with which Jesus came among us? The long view was essential to his ability to endure his humanity experience. It is true for all of us. Planning, sacrifice, blood, sweat, and tears are a part of every worthwhile endeavor. Why? For the joy set before us. Examples: pregnancy, labor and delivery, raising kids, training for a race, getting your education, building a career, making disciples, caring for elderly parents,

December 9, 2015

Christian Standard

Meditating on Hope: December 9

By Becky Ahlberg Wednesday, December 9 Start your thoughts this morning reading Romans 5:1-5. Perseverance and character“”these are two strong words, but we usually don”t think of them as the stuff of Christmas. And yet, they are at the heart of it. When you come right down to it, Christmas is a pretty rough story. Think of the cast in this play, and how those two words made Christmas possible: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Anna, Simeon, and Christ. For all of them, there could easily be a focus on shame and suffering, and yet each of them experienced and understood

December 20, 2014

Christian Standard

Leading Young

By Will Thomas Young ministers can overcome the challenges that have faced them since Paul wrote Timothy. I understand Timothy”s predicament. “Don”t let anyone look down on you because you are young,” the apostle Paul encouraged (1 Timothy 4:12). Timothy was a preacher and in all likelihood younger than most of the people in his church. Been there, done that. I had just turned 19 when I began serving as a minister. I had preached a fair number of sermons as a teenager in my home church and had always been a motivated student of the Bible. But suddenly, a

August 14, 2014

Michael C. Mack

The Apostle Paul’s Top 21 Leadership Character Traits

By Michael C. Mack Acts 20 contains 21 character traits of the apostle Paul. Look over this list, and then take time to assess yourself as a leader. Which three to five of these are you doing well? Now, identify three to five traits missing or in short supply with you. Huddle up with a few other leaders and share what you’ve discovered. Paul’s character traits: 1. Humility (v. 19). 2. Possessing a Servant’s heart (v. 19). 3. Integrity. Never hesitated to preach the Word, no matter what the consequences (v. 20). 4. Committed. Devoted to teaching God’s Word regardless

May 6, 2013

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 12, 2013: Sure Hope (2 Peter 1)

By Sam E. Stone This second letter from the apostle Peter to the churches (see 3:1) was probably written around AD 67, not long before his death. Some consider it his “last will and testament.” Knowing what awaited him (John 21:18, 19), he was more concerned about the needs of other Christians than his own. False teachers were afoot seeking to mislead the believers. They needed a sure hope, one found only in Christ. Hope”s Resources 2 Peter 1:2-4 Only knowledge of Jesus provides grace and peace in abundance. In fact, everything we need for a godly life is available

August 27, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for September 2, 2012: Faith Calls for Perseverance (Hebrews 10)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone The letter to the Hebrews does not tell us the name of its author. For years Paul was assumed to have written it. Others think Barnabas or Apollos did. Though we cannot be certain of the author, the book was clearly accepted by the early church as part of the Holy Spirit-inspired canon of Scripture. Most Bible students believe it was written before the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in AD 70 since the temple

June 22, 2011

Christian Standard

The Verse that Saved My Life

By Mark Atteberry It happened on my last day of Bible college. It was a ceremony dreamed up by several members of our senior class, something inspirational to do as a part of our final chapel service. Each senior would walk to the podium and call the name of a member of the junior class. The junior whose name had been called would then stand and listen as the senior read a specially chosen verse of Scripture. Several of my classmates thought it would be a good way for us to say goodbye. When the idea was sprung on me,

May 13, 2009

Christian Standard

The Final Challenge

By Mark A. Taylor Every sports fan knows the importance of ending well. We remember games won in the ninth inning, come-from-behind victories cinched in overtime, runners prevailing only in the final lap. All the game was important, but victory was sure only in the final seconds. Every gardener knows a successful harvest is the point of planting. Neat rows of new sprouts are attractive, and beautiful blooms on healthy vegetable vines are encouraging. But if by summer”s end the plants dry up, rot away, or become the food of garden pests, what real good is a garden? So it

September 10, 2006

Name Withheld

church conflict

When It Was Better Not to Fight

A minister recounts a painful season of church conflict triggered by leadership burnout and false accusations. He shares hard-won strategies—silence, Scripture, trusted support, counseling, and perseverance—that helped him endure and ultimately move toward healing.

March 19, 2006

Christian Standard

Second Guessing God

Why does God allow terrible things to happen? Brian Jones tackles that question with grace, humor, and transparency in a book that speaks to anyone who has faced trouble of any kind. “From the first paragraph I was captured by his open and engaging style,” Gene Appel said. “Brian Jones . . . expresses the heart”s disappointment and longing with a directness that somehow always ends up leading us toward God,” wrote John Ortberg. “This book was written by, for, and in the midst of people with bruised souls,” Jones says in his introduction. “My goal has been to write

December 4, 2005

Christian Standard

Listen to the Flip Side

By Cora Alley When I was a “groovy” teen in the 1960s, I used to save up every cent I could beg, borrow, or earn to buy the latest singles that came out on those saucer-sized 45 rpm records. I would gingerly lift the ebony disc out of its protective paper sleeve and place it on the turntable on my record player that looked like a square hatbox with a handle. After listening to my treasured song over and over until cries of protest came from every corner of the house, I would pick the record up and carefully reinsert

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link