If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 

                                                                                                                     John 15:18-19 

We have already defined diligence as a constant and earnest effort to accomplish a task. Perseverance and diligence are similar but there is a distinction. Athletes dedicate themselves to strength conditioning as a way of preparing themselves for the demands of competition. This allegiance of spending time in the weight room requires scheduling, devoting, and adhering to the conditioning routine. Any deviation could result in loss of performance. But what about when the athlete is injured? What once used to be an ordinary part of preparation can turn into a difficult and trying ordeal. This is where perseverance begins. Overcoming the difficulties to still accomplish what one has set out to do requires determination that only perseverance can deliver. Perseverance literally means endurance. It is the “no quit” attitude that we admire in people when they succeed against all odds.

So it is in the faith. To be a Christian in today’s society certainly requires tenacity and perseverance. Jesus warns us about this in today’s passage. The world will not congratulate you for being a follower of Jesus Christ. God, the Creator of the universe and Lord of it all, came to earth and took on human flesh. He appeared in bodily form to the very people He created. And what was the result? They persecuted Him and hung Him on a cross. Now this was all part of God’s plan to redeem mankind, but the reception Jesus received from humanity is still a stark reminder of just how wayward the human race has become. We should not expect to get a better reception from the world than did Christ. In fact, if we align ourselves with Him, we can expect persecution.

There are a number of reasons why Christians need to support one another, but today’s reminder from Christ Himself should top the list. We need one another because we are living in a world filled with unbelievers and those who have no spiritual understanding. The world, apart from Christ, is unable to comprehend the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Void of the Holy Spirit, these individuals live for the things of this world and neglect the weightier things of God. This is no reason for believers to be disgruntled or angry with people, quite the contrary. We should be doing everything in our power to share the love of God with them, praying that they too may come to know Jesus Christ in a saving way. But Christians should support one another and establish relationships with others who are like-minded. It is much easier to stand with a support system than it is to try and go it alone (Ecclesiastes 4:12). The enemy is well aware of this need for believers to band together so he is actively looking for ways to divide the body of Christ. In some cases, I would have to say that he seems to have succeeded. Christians are divided along denominational, doctrinal, and theological lines to the point that some unbelievers are quite perplexed as to what it all really means. We are told in scripture that the church is not to be divided (1 Corinthians 1:10) and I believe that it would be beneficial for every Christian to remember that everyone who is in Christ is a part of the church, regardless of what their “labels” might be. Toward the end of his life, Paul made the claim, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…” (2 Timothy 4:7). May you persevere in the faith and in the unique calling that God has placed on your life!

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

                                                                                                            Matthew 5:10-12