Never Tired

"Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but
those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar
on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk
and not be faint." Isaiah 40:30-31

Marines are not allowed to be tired. I heard this phrase throughout
Boot Camp. There we lived on just a few hours of sleep and 3 rushed
meals each day. I was exhausted, but didn't feel it. Boot Camp is
designed to break any person. Heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe
lasted 7 days at Marine Corps Boot Camp.

To this day I can push my physical limits. I recall the strain of the
15th mile in an 18 mile forced march, the 70th straight hour without
sleep on guard duty, or the 3rd hour of standing rigidly at attention
for a uniform inspection. At the time following orders was my
motivation. I convinced myself that I was not allowed to be tired.

I combated exhaustion with mental toughness; the belief that I could
not fail, I could not let down my band of brothers, I could not let
down the Corps. The Marine for God fights spiritual exhaustion. Have
you ever become tired of doing the right thing? Have you every felt
tired of helping someone else? Do you grow weary with the
stubbornness, arrogance and selfishness of others? It is spiritual
toughness that overcomes these times. Spiritual toughness is our
ability to find potential and goodness in everyone. With God's love,
it is amazing how much more we can accomplish than we thought we
could. The Marine for God is motivated in the same way as the US
Marine; the belief that failure is not an option. We can't let down
our brothers and sisters in Christ, we can't let down the church and
we can't let down God (we don't actually let Him down, rather we
motivate ourselves as loving response to his unconditional love). Our
love of God and our desire to serve him are our motivation. When we
put our hope in God we will not be tired. (Isaiah 40:30-31 "Those who
hope in the Lord will renew their strength.")

Let me re-iterate my main points: First, spiritual perseverance is
much more than physical perseverance. Second, God is our motivation.

The concept of perseverance permeates the bible. Every letter in the
New Testament speaks upon the subject in some form or another.
Classic admonishments are Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 12:1, James 1:2-4,
James 1:12, Revelation 2:3. These we cannot ignore.

Consider also the ending to both of Peter's letters,

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in
Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore
you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10).

"…be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error
of lawless men and afall from your secure position. But grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…"(2 Peter
3:17-18).

Consider God's confidence in Job. It was Job's ability to withstand
the trials of Satan through perseverance.

The conclusion of Solomon's life experiment in Ecclesiastes, "Fear God
and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Joshua was commanded to, "not let this Book of the Law depart from
your mouth…" (Joshua 1:8).

Jesus spoke on keeping faith alive and strong repeatedly. In the
gospel of Luke, Jesus admonishes us to remain watchful, "Be dressed
ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for
their master to return home from a wedding banquet, so that when he
comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him." (Luke
12:35).

The common theme to spiritual perseverance is the requirement it
places on us. We have to be willing participants in this 'battle for
our souls' and we must be willing to fight through the tough times.
Do you want to feel that teeth gritting, heart pounding persevering
feeling akin to the 15th mile of the 18 mile hike, the 25th mile of
the marathon or the 70th hour of foot partrol? Good, you should!
Love the world and feel it's pain. Cry when you see someone on the
street begging for money. Persevere in keeping sarcasm from your
lips. Be positive in the face your negative attitudes. Love the
unloveable when it hurts to love them. These are the battles in which
the Marine for God must never grow tired.