I think it was John Maxwell who said with the way most people are these days, you don't have to run the race to win, you just have to stay on the track, and eventually everyone else will quit.  Endurance is not high on most people's list of desired traits as we move further into the second decade of the 21st century.  It was certainly high on the Apostle Paul's list in the first century!  He told us endurance in the time of problems and trials is the first step to strong character and confident hope of salvation:   ³We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.   Romans 5:4 NLT

The question then becomes:  Would we rather be like the majority of people in our culture, or more like God wants us to be?  We know the answer to that question, or at least we know what the answer to that question is supposed to be:  we would rather be more like God wants us to be.  That begs another question:  Why don't we pursue being  more like God wants us to be?  I know, we do sometimes.  Maybe we do much of the time.  My goal is to pursue being more like God ALL the time.  I want to endure problems and trials, so I can have a strong character that will strengthen my confident hope of salvation.  More and more I not only want to do these things, I am doing them.  The key to it has been my growing realization that the Holy Spirit's activity in my life is constant.  He ALWAYS leads me to be and do what God wants.  The challenge is simply yielding to His control moment by moment.  The old nature, what some translations of the Bible call "the flesh" or "the sinful nature" never gets better as we grow in Jesus Christ.  What happens is the flesh becomes less and less as we give the Holy Spirit more and more control.   That's why the Apostle Paul could say, "It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me," as he matured more and more in his life in Jesus Christ.

What do you want for today?  Do you want to be more like Jesus or more like the world?  Actually, a better question is, "What are you committed to today--being more like Jesus or more like the world?"  After all, we become what we're committed to in life.  I choose Jesus, which means when trials and problems come His Spirit in me will empower me to endure.  That process will lead to an ultimate assurance of victory in my life and in yours as we live it!  The source of our confident hope of salvation, then is the Holy Spirit.  More on that tomorrow!

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for setting into motion a series of events, actions and attitudes in our lives, which when guided by the Holy Spirit leads to our confident hope of salvation.  Fill us with Your Spirit that we may experience victory more and more with each passing day.  This we ask in Jesus' name.  Amen.