persistence

Malachai 3:13-20; Ps 1 Blessed are they who hope in the lord; Luke 11:5-13

Jesus tells the story of a friend who shows up on your door late at night knocking and seeking bread.
The story's focus is not on the one who gives or why he gives but on the one who ask.

The punch line is as follows, "I tell you, if he does not get up to give him loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence."

Firmness of purpose, the unwillingness to give in or give up will gain you a lot of ground in the end.

Turn your attention to the psalm. today we read from psalm 1. Psalm one begins the book of psalms which consist of 150 psalms. The book is a mirror of the spiritual life.

It begins with two kinds of people: those who fear the Lord and are obedient and those who fear not and who are classified as the wicked.

"Blessed the man who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade."



Blessed is the man that is persistent.

The thing about the psalms. If you follow them through you come to psalm 150, which is a psalm of pure praise.

Persistence in obedience and fear of the Lord leads to perfect praise.

This is the spiritual life: firmness of purpose and the willingness not to give in will gain you ground in the end.

In the words of Franklin Roosevelt, "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."


Example: Abraham Lincoln
if you want to learn about somebody who did not quit, look no further. Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost 8 elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown. He could have quit many times - but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest Presidents in the history of US. Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House: 1816 : His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them. 1818 : His mother died. 1831 : Failed in business. 1832 : Ran for state legislature - Lost. 1832 : Also lost his job. Wanted to go to law school, but couldn't get in. 1833 : Borrowed some money from a friend to begin business, but became bankrupt by the year end. 1834 : Ran for state legislature again - Won. 1835 : Was engaged to be married, but his fiancée died. 1836 : Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for 6 months. 1838 : Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - Defeated. 1840 : Sought to be elector - Defeated. 1843 : Ran for Congress - Lost. 1846 : Ran for Congress again. This time he won. Went to Washington and did a good job. 1848 : Ran for re-election to Congress - Lost. 1849 : Sought the job of land officer in his home state - Rejected. 1854 : Ran for the Senate of the US - Lost. 1856 : Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention - Got less than 100 votes. 1858 : Ran for the US Senate again - Lost again. 1860 : Elected President of the US.

In the end, persistence is a divine attribute. Think of how persistent God has been to get our attention. Think about the countless stubborn hearts and wills he has endured from the moment he spoke those words, "let there be light" to the Pentecost experience of sending his Holy Spirit. Right smack in the middle is the Cross.

Persistence means to be godly.