All of the benefits and blessings of the Christian life are only accessible to those who have patience. The riches promised to us by God only come after a time of suffering. Anyone can commit to some changed lifestyle or way of thinking for a short period of time. Only with patience can the benefits of a true commitment to the truth of Jesus Christ be experienced.

In Revelation 13 and 14, twice, John says, “Here is the patience of the saints.” Once in chapter 13 verse 10, after talking about the destructive and oppressive power of the beast and the fact that those who oppress and destroy will themselves be oppressed and destroyed, and again in chapter 14, verse 12, after the third angel announces the destruction of all of those who worship the beast.

We have patience in the knowledge that God has the victory. All of the things we suffer in this life only work our good and God’s glory, and can never rob us of the promised salvation. All we have to do is endure, a lesson Revelation teaches us over and over. Enduring to the end is the unique characteristic of the true saint of God. Anyone can be faithful for a little while, but only by the power of the Spirit of God, with sincere faith in Christ, can a person endure all of the difficulties of this life to reap the promised blessings. Pray sincerely that God grant us that patience.