“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭35‬-‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Endurance – Notice that this word has been linked together with “doing the will of God”

Seems like this thing will not be worked out in us entirely until we are done here.  Why do I say that?   Because John recorded in Revelation 14:13 saying,

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!””

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our true rewards,  are in Heaven. 

 I was looking out my window at the newest cat I’ve been taking care of.  She is sleeping on the chair (my red chair) 

I  put the rugs out there the other day to air out before putting them in the laundry. Well, she has made herself an “afternoon nap” bed out of it.  As I was looking out the window and saw her out there in the cold, I felt sad and even frustrated. 

I then thought of Heaven, where there will be no more suffering.  Not for anyone there! Nor for the beautiful animals that God created.  No more cats sleeping in the cold.  No more children hungry and afraid.  No more cancer hospitals or crying parents.  No more crime-ridden cities full of fear, hatred, and cruelty.  Nope.  None of these things will be allowed into Heaven.   

No wonder the scriptures says,

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This doesn’t mean that we need to be “so heavenly-minded, that you are no earthly good.”  No, in fact, the more heavenly-minded we are, the more loving, kind, understanding, caring, and joyful we will be, which makes us earthy good; Able to help and encourage others. 

Who doesn’t want to share good news with others? Most of us can’t wait to share the good stuff that happens to us, like job promotions, engagements, purchasing a home, getting a new puppy, or even a new recipe.  We love it. And, how about the joy of giving a gift and seeing the person’s face when they open it.  It’s great fun!  

So it is with those who love God and believe and trust His Word!  We should want to share the joy of His plans for all of us! 

Unfortunately, there can be many rejections and frazzled relations due to misunderstandings and miscommunications. Some of us are not always strong at articulating what’s in our hearts.  We struggle with words that can turn people away or words they don’t care to hear. 

““The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God’s word brings us comfort, knowing that, “He knows” and understands everything that is going on in our lives and is working it out for good. 

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭

I pray blessings for you and your families! Thank you for visiting and spending a few moments reading this post.