Habits of a Thankful HeartSample

Developing Endurance

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

My friend Clarke was a member of the Canadian triathlon team and trained for the 2012 Olympics. When he was training, every day he woke up at 5 a.m. to swim a mile. In the afternoon, he biked 100 kilometers. I once asked him if he ever took a day off. No, he said, because taking a day off wouldn’t just set him back one day; it could take weeks for him to regain the endurance he’d lose.

In Philippians 4:11, Paul tells us that he has found the secret to contentment: he can “do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me.” What Paul is describing here is spiritual endurance—the ability to stand firm in faith no matter what life circumstances he finds himself in. Paul’s endurance is not the product of his will but flows from his relationship with Christ.

This relationship is sustained through daily spiritual exercise. We can’t wake up one morning and suddenly decide to be joyful, grateful people. If we want to be like Paul, we need to develop a training routine to build our spiritual endurance. Each day we must preach the gospel again to ourselves. We need to let the promises of Scripture sink into our minds, memorizing them the way we memorize the lyrics to our favorite song so that the gospel becomes the soundtrack that accompanies everything that we do.

Reflect: Spiritual endurance training begins with a daily routine of prayer, Scripture reading, and meditation.