Persistent

What kind of a person are you?  Do you easily give up or do you hang in there for the long haul?  Are you always starting projects and never finishing them or do you complete projects that you start?  Do you have a specific goal in mind for completing a project or do you haphazardly work at it?  When a person is persistent and keeps a specific goal in mind and sticks to that goal they usually accomplish the task at hand.  If you are a persistent objective oriented hard working person you will probably accomplish much in your lifetime but if you are just going through life haphazardly, just trying to get by, you will probably accomplish very little.

Did you ever hear the statement, “practice makes perfect?”  To me that is talking about being persistent.  People that practice the same thing over and over again usually get very good at whatever they practice.  Most people achieve whatever their priorities are.  

Sometimes you hear some people say they can’t do this or that and they probably can’t because ‘can’t’ never seems to apply itself to anything and when a person says, “I can’t,” they start with a defeated attitude and they more than likely will not be successful.  I have noticed in my life anything that becomes a priority goes on to the ‘can do’ list.  If you think about it, anything that becomes a priority in your life takes first place and gets the most attention and you try harder at whatever it may be, even to the point of sacrificing time, energy and money.

Think about your relationships, for instance.  Think about the first time you dated your wife or husband or the one you might be in a relationship with, the one you truly fell in love with, or thought you did, your priorities changed dramatically.  You became very persistent in pursuing that person and at times it seemed your whole live was put on hold because of that relationship.  You went to all kinds of extremes to please that person at almost any cost.  

I remember a guy that used to work with me, if he had a problem with his girlfriend he wouldn’t even work because he had to try to straighten things out with her.  When there were problems between the two of them it seemed like the whole world stopped and he got off until things got patched up between them.

I wonder how many believers feel this passionate about the Lord.  Think about this, if people were as passionate and caring ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years after they were married as they were when they first started dating, there would be far less divorces and there would probably be far less people opting to just live together, because they would see that marriage really does work and is the best option.  One of the problems is that many people have no commitment to one another and so they fall out of love for each other.

This same thing happens to many believers, they start out happy, committed, persistent and fully in love with the Lord with little understanding but excited in their new found faith.  Their sins are forgiven and their guilt is gone and they have been set free, praise the Lord!  Their priorities have changed and they are persistent in their walk with the Lord.  The problem starts as time goes on and situations and circumstances change in their lives; maybe prayers aren’t being answered the way they would like or maybe they have become very prosperous and their eyes are on their finances or possibly they have gotten their eyes on someone or something else which draws them away from their first love or maybe time has dimmed their memory of the things they were set free of.

Some may think this can’t happen but it can and did in the church of Ephesus, read Revelations 2:1-7, “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

The Lord is the head of the churches and He cares for each one, and each individual person that comprises the church.  I wonder what He would say about our churches today.  While you were reading these verses do you see yourself in these verses, have you personally left your first love?  If you have, Jesus is waiting for you to repent and return to Him.  He loves you and He wants your devotion, commitment, dedication and love back.  This is something to think about and not take lightly.  I hope if this Tidbit is speaking to you, you will repent and make the Lord your first priority again.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!