Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
In 1952 a rock in the road and a stomp on the brakes gave an idea to John Hetrick.
As he continued driving home, he wondered why couldn't something come out of the dashboard of a car to protect a person in case of an accident?
The next year Hetrick patented his "Safety Cushion Assembly for Automotive Vehicles." It was the first air bag. Would it surprise you to find out he never made a penny for his idea? That's because his patent expired before car manufacturers started using his idea.
Is he bitter? Not at all. Hetrick says, "Saving thousands of people makes the idea worthwhile."
John Hetrick is quite an example of longsuffering patience.
Patience is a quality most of us don't possess. Unlike Hetrick and, more to the point, unlike Jesus, who showed incredible patience with His followers, most of us get upset when we're ignored or forgotten.
Most certainly we get upset when someone doesn't give us the recognition we think we deserve. That's when we start thinking what's the point of trying, working, striving, planning, or caring? What's the point when nobody cares?
How thankful we ought to be that Jesus never adopted that kind of attitude. The indifference and opposition of others might well have derailed someone else. But Jesus was not someone else. He was God's Son, our Savior, and He refused to give in to the temptation of quitting. Because of His work, all who believe on Him are saved.
His is a commitment we should emulate. We do what we do because it glorifies Him or benefits our neighbor. Living a Christian life because it's right and God-pleasing should be enough to keep us going.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, for Your faithfulness and Your sacrifice I give thanks. Now may I be willing to do Your work and will. To that end send the Holy Spirit upon me and the decisions I make. In Your 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: Isaiah 37-38 Romans 5
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"