Ecclesiastes 12:10

   I don’t know what Samson saw in Delilah, but whatever it was it was enough to destroy him. I don’t think we can hold women like this as a positive example expect maybe in on aspect, persistence.   This woman was able to do what no man ever could, she brought down Samson.  She did it by never stopping, Time after time Samson refuses her she just keeps on prodding until finally against all good sense he tells her how he can be subdued. It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. Judges 16:16   Persistence can conquer the unconquerable. That's why it is a trait Jesus encourages us to have (Luke 11:5-10, 18:1). Those that give up quickly are always disappointed. Those that persist despite disappointment will eventually get what they want.  Let’s be persistent in what is good rather than evil. 

  If there is one aspect that Jesus seems to emphasize in his teaching about prayer, it is that it is not a one and done thing. (Luke 18:1-8, Luke 11:5-13)   Prayer takes constancy to work. If I ask and don’t receive, it shouldn’t be taken as a reason to not pray anymore. Take the example of Elijah: Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.  Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18   Here James gives him as an example of the effective nature of prayer. He changed the weather! But exactly how did that work?   In 1 Kings 18:42-45, we see Elijah praying for the rain to come back. In verse 42, He is confident that it will rain by his proclamation to King Ahab. That’s important (James 1:16). But notice how many times it took.   Not after the first prayer or the second at...

    My best friend growing up was a baseball player through and through.  I’ll never forget the story for his first “real” home run.  He had been playing high school ball for a year or two and was a good hitter but had never hit one over the fence.  Until that one day when he turned just right on a fast ball and sent it out of the park.  As he round the bases, you could see his smile on his face from the stands.  When he turned past third, his teammates pilled out of the dugout to meet him with a chorus of high fives and pats on the pack.  The jubilation continued until he stepped back in the dugout and was promptly called out.  You see in in all the congratulations and excitement he never stepped on home plate.  So when he left the playing field, he put himself out; the only person on the field that could do so.     I’m sure Josh hates that story, but I bring it up a reminder of very important spiritual point. ...

Sullivan defends his title, 1889   Gentleman Jim Corbett is sometimes called the father of modern boxing. Because of his scientific approach and innovative techniques, he is often credited with changing prizefighting from a brawl to an art. He bettered the sport by popularizing the influence of footwork, the use of the left hook, and even the use of hand wraps.   However, he credited his success in the ring to not his innovations but to his persistence . He said this famous quote about his success:   “Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round . When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish that your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round – remembering that the man who always fights one more round...