Commitment every day

Whatever you may have experienced in the past, you must never make the mistake of looking back on that and saying, Well, that is my credential; that is my proof. I had an earlier experience in my own life and that is a sufficient proof that I am a persevering Christian. Do you know why? Because trial and tribulation is something you experience all the way through the Christian life. And it does not prove anything if you have had one or two skirmishes with trial and you have endured. I have known a lot of people in my years as a pastor who began going well, but then all of a sudden because the heat of the day lasted longer than they anticipated, they got discouraged, quit, and turned back. They showed right there that they did not really understand the doctrine of perseverance, because the doctrine does not mean that if you are faithful for a while then everything will be easy. It means that we are in for the long haul and the genuine child of God will never forsake his commitment.¹

G.I. Williamson