The Roots of Endurance

I recently finished reading the Roots of Endurance by John Piper. It’s about the lives of three men John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce, who faced life-long suffering and opposition and yet held fast to their faith in Christ. This was an incredible testimony to the grace of God, to be able to sustain individuals through extraordinary trials. The premise of the book is finding out what it is about these three men that sustained them during their darkest hours to finish the race set before them.

Charles Simeon was pastor of a church for 49 years. This doesn’t sound too impressive until you find out for the first twelve of those years the “pewholders” literally locked the pews and didn’t attend, and those that did were forced to stand wherever they could.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3 NIV)

Simeon says: “My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ’s sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs…” (Piper 77)

Please note how I said I was going through a severe trial. Simeon says his measly 12+ years of persecution”not just from one or two individuals but from an entire congregation”was little, small, teensy. His trials were “little”? This is when I had a V8 smack-in-the-head moment. My negligible sufferings are nothing compared to the ultimate suffering Christ endured.??My sufferings??are nothing compared to the sins flagrantly committed against God. Am I somehow justified in being upset when someone has seriously wronged me? That’s not what the Bible teaches and Simeon doesn’t seem to hold that belief either. No, I must forgive. Truly and totally forgive. This is where God’s grace is a sustaining grace. This is what Simeon refers to above. Christ is the head. He’s the root of Simeon’s endurance. If we plant our faith in Christ then it is possible to endure tremendous amounts of pain with joy in our hearts.

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:4 NIV)