Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

"A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in king's palaces."¹

What could a tiny lizard possibly teach us? It teaches the rewards of persistence which "takes it to the top."

Another has said, "The race is not always to the swift but to those who keep on running." Among other things, fulfilling God's will for our lives means reaching our total God-given human and spiritual potential. We don't have to be geniuses to do this, but we do need to be persistent and keep on keeping on regardless of our circumstances.

The Apostle Paul experienced all sorts of trials and setbacks. He was shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, whipped and beaten, and thrown into prison for promoting Christianity. He knew firsthand what it was to experience loneliness, cold and hunger. The interesting thing about this is that Paul penned some of his great letters to the churches while in prison, as did John Bunyan as he wrote Pilgrim's Progress when he was in prison.

I listened to a preacher some time ago, a preacher who had cerebral palsy and struggled with every word he spoke. I was deeply moved. God used this man to influence hundreds of lives for all eternity. If ever I saw persistence it was in this man. In spite of his debilitating handicap, he reached his top and was maximizing his full potential.

God has a plan and life-purpose for each of us, too. To achieve it, it won't happen without dedication, commitment, hard work, and persistence. As Paul said, "It is God himself in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work … and so we never give up."²

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in the midst of setbacks and the disappointments of life, please give me the gift of persistence so that I will never give up the goal of becoming all that you want me to be, and to keep on doing what you want me to do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 30:28 (NIV).
2. 2 Corinthians 4:1 (TLB)(NLT).

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