Ours is a generation that glorifies self. But Elder Gowens opens the scripture to show that fulfillment comes from going beyond self. Selfishness is the essence of sin. In contrast is the sacrificial love epitomized by Christ. Biblical love is not an emotion but a commitment to live for others, as Christ gave Himself for us.
In 1 Samuel 17:28-29, David’s brother accuses him of self-interest in coming to see the battle. But David does not have self in mind. He asks, “Is there not a cause?” Scriptures provide the child of God with worthy causes beyond self for which to live. Marriage is one, family another. But the greatest is Christ and His church. The Bible exhorts us to pray, to suffer, and to endure for the cause of Christ and His kingdom, “for the which cause we faint not.”
Elder Gowens ably shows the scripture to teach that perseverance is not a decree but a discipline.
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