Persistence, A Key to Success

Holy Land Picture of the Day

Camels in the Desert Today's picture is of camels being ridden in the Negev Desert in southern Israel. It reminds us of the words of Abraham's servent in Genesis 24:13-14; "Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, 'Please let down your jar so  that I may drink,' and who answers, 'Drink, and I will water your camels also'-may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will  know that You have shown love." “As Jesus went from there, two blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”  Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” (Matthew. 9:27-31) Recently,  I mentioned that words written by human hands have but one meaning but the Word of God is a virtual source of new material each  time we read it; it meets us at the exact point of our need.  I do not know about you, but I must confess that many times I do not prepare my heart to receive what God wants to teach my from my  Scripture readings.  There is always the problem of too many things for the short time I have to give to the Lord.  But then again I have learned that God gives to me in the same measure that I give to Him (Luke 6:38). Let me put that principle into living reality.  I have read the story of the two blind men in the above Scriptures many times but, I must admit, I have always read through the story without seeking he truths that God might be saying to me in the story.  Soooo, I decided to dig a little deeper and., although not amazed, because God’s word is so rich in the daily needs that I face each day but yet I was a wee bit surprised. The bottom line of the story, two blind men cried out for mercy for Jesus to heal them and He did.  End of story – right? But is that all God’s wants us to see in this passage or are there other lessons to be learned?  How about the persistence of the blind men – they saw their chance and went  for it.  Or how about their determination – they were not willing to throw in the towel simply because Jesus was surrounded by a mob of folks also seeking healing.  And then there is the fact that they were not intimidated by the mobs and certainly were no fearful to take their need to the Lord.  How about verse 31? They went out and spread  the news about Him throughout all the land even after Jesus told them to “keep this under your hat”. And finally, note, they were not afraid to make a tough request.    As I meditated on these words I got the sense that God was saying, 'one day when you stand before Me and  give an account of what you did with My Son on earth, were you like the two blind men, bold as lions and spread the good news that Jesus is Lord of your life in action and  word? Will  there  be a special reward – a crown? . Sooooo, my young friends, put on your armor and get ready for battle today for Satan is as a roaring lion seeking to destroy the works of your hands, but also know that God’s grace is sufficient! Blessings, Gramps