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Persevere

This blog post digs deeper and gets into the meat of the word Persevere, which is the title of the free devotional ebook. Check out the introductory post here.

Persevere is not a common word… so let’s break it down.

per (through)

severe (grave, weighty, serious)

Persevere means going through something intense.

To persevere is to endure.

In the Bible, the Greek word ὑπομένω (hupomeno)

Is translated both as persevere and endure.

It’s Greek, so let’s break it down, too.

Hupomeno is a compound word:

Hupo + meno

Hupo is a preposition that can mean under.

Meno is abide or remain.

So, put them together:

Hupomeno is remaining under.

Steadfast.

Not giving up.

Hupomeno is found in these well-loved verses:

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. –

Hebrews 12:1-3

Here you are.

This is it.

The ultimate example of perseverance.

The darkest day ever was when Jesus went to the cross.

If you combined all of humanity’s hardships throughout the history of time, it still would not compare to the agony of that dark day.

He endured.

He persevered.

He remained under the weight and severity of the cross.

He bore the sin of the world.

And, He emerged victorious.

The Ultimate Perseverer.

He is the One we should fix our eyes on.

Gazing intensely at Him as we run our race

with His perseverance and endurance.

You see,

if you have believed on Jesus,

that He took your sin and died in your place,

then His life is your life.

His Spirit dwells in you,

and He Himself gives you the strength to go on.

But you know what? He’s not gruff and rough.

He knows your heart needs encouragement as you persevere.

So that’s what we’re going to look at in the next blog post.

His tender comfort.


Get a free sample of Persevere, an ebook devotional!


When you sign up for the free sample, you’ll also get KeyWords – a weekly devotional + writing update to your inbox!


Sign up for KeyWords and get a weekly devotional and writing update to your inbox.


Life is Hard

“You know what this is?”

I raised my head from the table where I had dramatically flopped just moments before.

My dad rubbed his index finger against his thumb.

“This is the world’s smallest violin playing ‘My heart bleeds for you!’”

He chuckled at himself until I rolled my eyes and started laughing, too.   

This scenario played out a lot in my teenage years.

When I bemoaned some insurmountable difficulty at school or work that threatened to disrupt my otherwise blissful life, I was met with sympathy and a good dose of reality.

“You know what? Life is hard.”

Usually, the situation worked itself out.

It wasn’t fun, but I got over it.

Along the way I grew to understand that life is not easy, but it does go on.

And giving up isn’t an option.

But as I became an adult, I found that problems got bigger.

More complex.

Heartaches intensified.

Dilemmas didn’t resolve.

Decisions were made, regretted, and made again.

I saw friends and family walk through dark days.

And I did, too.

As the years went by, I felt it even more strongly:

No, life isn’t easy.

And giving up isn’t an option.

So how do we get through difficult situations?

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:4

Perseverance.

Encouragement (Comfort).

Hope.

Throughout the next few blog posts, we’ll dig deeper and focus on these three key concepts from God’s word.

Get a free sample of Persevere, an ebook devotional!


When you sign up for the free sample, you’ll also get KeyWords – a weekly devotional + writing update to your inbox!


Sign up for KeyWords and get a weekly devotional and writing update to your inbox.