Day 34

34 - Enduring: Fix Our Eyes On Jesus 

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

I have a friend who has a sticker on the back of his car that simply says 26.2. His wife has a sticker on her car that says 0.0. Do you know what those mean? Yes, he has run a marathon, 26.2 miles. She has run jack squat, 0.0 miles. I think her sticker is hilarious! I laughed out loud when I first saw it. I think his sticker is well-earned. It shows that he has a lot of endurance.

It takes a lot of preparation to begin a marathon. It takes a lot of endurance and perseverance to finish a marathon. Being a disciple-maker is similar to a marathon. There is a lot of preparation that goes into it, like growing in your faith, learning to work in the harvest field, leading others to Christ, helping them grow up in their faith, and training others to work in the harvest field. Being a disciple-maker, like running a marathon, requires endurance and perseverance.

A marathon runner must endure. They will get tired. Their muscles will get really sore, they’ll feel pain, they might feel all alone, and their mind might lose focus and tell them it's not worth it. “Just give up!” As you make disciples, you can grow weary and lose focus and want to give up.

Read 1 Corinthians 16:13.

• Disciples are instructed to do four different things related to enduring. What are they? 

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Each of those four things are stated in order to combat something that could cause believers to quit as disciple-makers. For instance, we are told to be on our guard, because we can become unaware of Satan, our enemy, when we are busy making disciples.

What do you think the other three things that will help us endure?

We must stand firm, because we can become tired of reaching out and always giving to others. We must have courage, because we can become afraid of rejection or failure.

We must be strong, because we can get discouraged with slow results and grow weary.

Read John 14:1.

• What will help us endure? 

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Read Matthew 28:20b.

• Where did Jesus say endurance comes from for the disciple-maker? 

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That's right. We endure by trusting Jesus. He has good plans for us, and He is in control. We acknowledge that Jesus is with us as we make disciples! This promise in Matthew 28:20, that He is with us, is connected to Matthew 28:19, the call to make disciples. So, as you make disciples, persevere and endure in Jesus' strength. He is with you! What a great promise.

Read Hebrews 12:1-3.

• What is the "race marked out for us"? How does this say that we are able to persevere and run this race? How do we "fix our eyes on Jesus"?
• How does looking at Jesus help us persevere? 

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The race that Jesus has set out for you is to be a disciple who make disciples. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus to make disciples like He did and persevere like He did. To be a disciple-maker and endure as a disciple-maker, we must constantly read about, remain in, rely on, and replicate the Biblical Jesus. We must know all about Jesus.

Here the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus endured. We can endure because He endured. He endured by setting his sights on the joy that awaited Him. What was the source of that joy? Sitting down at the Father's right hand. Completing the will and work of the Father. Bringing the Father glory. Hearing the Father say, “Well done!”.

Read Matthew 25:14-23.

• What is the joy that is set before you as a multiplying disciple-maker? 

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Apart From Him…

• Think about Jesus and how He endured the cross. Thank Him for his dedication to save you, His example that encourages you, and for being with you to strengthen you as you make disciples. Pray through 1 Corinthians 16:13. 

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Walking As Jesus…

• Plan to read through all 4 Gospels in one month after you finish this 40 Days of Disciple-Making journey, so you can see the Biblical Jesus. 

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• My Personal Disciple-Making Plan: