Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
[12] “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Partnering with God throughout life to gain the eternal prize demands a persistence that never gives up, through thick and thin.

If we consider what it took to keep Paul on track through his times of horrific suffering, we realise that he was in an all-out war on many fronts. If ever the devil had a target, it was the Apostle Paul. Yet, he gave the devil no credit for his suffering, except on one occasion. In his desperation, he cried out to the Lord for relief but God said, “No!”. It was the hardships Paul endured that shaped him into the resilient man he became and a true son.

2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT
[10] “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

In the face of opposition and persecution, Paul argued for his qualification to speak with authority. HE NEVER GAVE UP.

2 Corinthians 11:23-27 NLT
[23] “Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. [24] Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. [26] I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. [27] I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.”

Is there any other person who has ever suffered or done more than Paul to be faithful to his mission and to fulfill his calling?

Why did Paul endure all this? Why didn’t he throw in the towel when his life seemed too painful to carry on?

Paul, first, had a calling from God to suffer. Suffering was part of his mandate to take the gospel to the Gentiles, from the lowliest to the highest.

Acts of the Apostles 9:15-16 NLT
[15] “But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. [16] And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

Paul regarded his suffering as a privilege. Suffering was part of the package that identified him with Jesus and qualified him to participate in his inheritance with Jesus.

Romans 8:17 NLT
[17] “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

What was, for Paul, the most painful part of the suffering that he shared with Jesus?

Isaiah 53:3 NLT
[3]”He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.”

2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT
[10] “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul’s identity with Jesus in His death, especially the pain of rejection, gave him access to the power of God’s grace so that he could accept suffering as God’s gift, a privilege to participate in resurrection power. Thus he could write…

Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT
[19] “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power [20] that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

What is this “resurrection power”?
It’s not the kind of power we think of as POWER, for example, the destructive power of nature. This power gives us the ability to overcome our selfish, dominating, driving old nature with its passion for self-satisfaction, to serve others for Jesus’s sake with unselfish love. This power, the Holy Spirit in us, has raised us to a new life through death to self. Now that’s real power when we see what devastation selfishness creates in the world. The old nature, self, has destroyed everything in our world, from individuals to nations.

Only when the determination to overcome and rule our old nature keeps us living by faith in the power of the Spirit, will we reach that goal of perfection when we see Jesus. You see, persistent faith has a goal. Paul called it a “heavenly prize”, but this prize is only for those who win the race…

Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
[1] “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. [2] We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

…a race that is not about who comes first but about who finishes the course.

Every “finisher” will receive the prize, perfect likeness to Jesus! Now that’s a prize worth the endurance!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT
[16] “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [17] For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [18] So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”