1 Corinthians 15: 57-58
July 6, 2024
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING – 6 JULY
July 6, 2024
THE 6th OF JULY
PATIENCE AND ENDURANCE ARE IMPORTANT FOR SALVATION
“By your [patient] endurance [empowered by the Holy Spirit] you will gain your souls.” – Luke 21:19
What is our Lord actually saying here? He is stating that our endurance will save our lives. As it says in Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” To gain our souls means not to lose them and end up in hell, but rather to be saved and go to heaven. Patience brings many benefits in this life, not only for eternity.
We can maintain our calm when we trust God, knowing that even if we are hated, betrayed, or killed, we will simply go to be with our Lord and not perish. In the previous verses, Jesus was telling the disciples, and us as well, that even if we endure very harsh trials and our bodies are killed, we will “not even lose one hair of our heads.”
We are eternal beings, and our physical bodies are only for as long as we live on this earth while we prepare for eternity. “Losing these bodies” means we will continue to exist in a spiritual form until the rapture, when we will receive our glorified bodies. This implies that it is not worth compromising to keep these bodies alive at the cost of losing our salvation. This life will end at some point anyway, but what follows will be forever.
SUGGESTED PRAYER
My beloved Lord, thank You so much for showing me the right perspective on life. Holy Spirit, please help me focus on my eternity and not on my life here on earth. Dear Jesus, You want me to be with You forever, and by learning to have patience and trusting You no matter what I go through, I will make it to heaven and be in perfect happiness for all eternity. Please help me live to please You, remain faithful, and not fail under pressure. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
