Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:7-8
It has been my privilege in life to occasionally meet someone who should qualify for a very special apartment in heaven.
One such lady of memory was an individual who never could bring herself to say anything wrong about anybody -- no matter how bad someone happened to be.
Just to test how far she would go, one day I challenged her by saying, "I believe you would find something good to say even about the devil." The lady thought for a second, grinned, and said, "Well, you certainly do have to admire his persistence."
She's right. You have to admire his centuries of stick-to-itiveness. The devil has been persistent enough to mess up the world and every generation that has ever lived. He is persistent enough to tempt you and me to do things that are not pleasing our God. He is persistent enough to cause ongoing anger, hatred, and jealousy. If Satan has an admirable quality, persistence has to be it.
It's a shame we Christians don't always possess the same attribute.
All too often, we like to kick back and take things easy. We prefer to let somebody else do the job of sharing the message of God's love. I think it's time to be persistent and try a little harder to share the Savior Who gave His life so we might live forever. It's time for us to be persistent in supporting the sharing of the Savior's salvation story.
"He certainly is persistent." That's what I'd like that special lady to say about all God's children.
So, this Daily Devotion's encouragement to you is: Today, be persistent in sharing the Savior who loves you so very much.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear God, I am not always as persistent as I should be when it comes to sharing the message of Your love and the salvation Jesus has won. Please, let me be persistent in my life, in my witness, in my faith. I ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 20-21 2 Timothy 4
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