65 Sermon Illustrations on Persistence

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Mutsuhito, Emperor of Japan, is the author of the following quatrain:

Amatari ni Kubomishi noki no Ishi mite mo Kataki waza tote Omoi sute me ya?

See, how the tiny rain-drops from the eaves Hollow the stones beneath, with constant drip, Then why should we abandon well-formed plans Simply, forsooth, because we find them hard?

Many Christians live in sorrow. They pray and read books, but nothing happens. One man has family unsaved, another loses his job. Why?

Bible example of Hannah.

Reasons:

1. To develop holiness.

2. To teach us persistence.

3. To give us God's best.

Sermon in Parables series. The Unjust Judge

"THE UNJUST JUDGE" Luke 18:1-8

I. Problems with prayer.

II. Jesus compares God to the unjust judge.

A. Similarity? - God isn't fair. He must be pestered for answers.

B. Contrast - God is very fair.

C. The only similarity is their delayed response.

III. Point of parable: If even a corrupt judge can be brought to answer a

widow, how much more will God answer his saints.

A. "Should always pray" indicates duty and necessity of persistence.

B. What about the "speedy" justice in 18:8?

IV. Jesus and persistence.

A. Jesus practiced persistence, esp. in Gethsemane. Luke 22:42

B. Jesus commanded persistence. Luke 11:9

C. Not vain repetition. Matt 6:7-8

V. Four principles of prayer.

A. Most essential ingredient of prayer is to be a committed disciple.

B. To understand prayer, we must understand the character of God.

C. Persistence in prayer shows our devotion, not God's stinginess.

D. You never need to stop persisting in prayer.

VI. Jesus is coming back.

A. Will you be a Christian?

B. Will you be faithfully persisting in prayer?

#2183

Helpful article:

"Why Keep Bothering God?" by Curtis C. Mitchell (Bible professor at Biola),

Christianity Today, 12/13/85, p. 33f.

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Barnabas was a quiet man but he made a great impact by encouraging Paul. After Mark abandoned Paul, Barnabas stood by Mark and he later became a great asset to Paul again. Encouragement can even turn failure around.

A Chicago company is one of the world’s largest magazine fulfillment firms. That means they handle subscription mailings by computer. Among other things, they send out renewal and expiration notices.

One day the company’s computer malfunctioned. Soon after, a rancher in Powder Bluff, Colorado, got 9,734 separate mailings informing him that his subscription to National Geographic had expired.

This got the rancher’s attention. He dropped what he was doing and traveled 10 miles to the nearest post office, where he sent in money for a renewal -- along with a note that said, "I give up! Send me your magazine!"

There is something about multiple requests that brings answers. For reasons known only to God, that is true also in prayer.

-- Stand Firm (September 1999)

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight, [or he will direct your path]” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

And the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When funds are low and debts are high,

And you have to smile, but you want to cry,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if your must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow,

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,

It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit. — Author Unknown

To quit or not to quit? That is often an extremely difficult decision to come to. There are times when we may need to change our direction, our job, or our location, or quit a destructive or “just-plain-not-going-anywhere” situation. The important thing is not to quit because we are running away from a situation we need to face and resolve. At the same time, it’s equally important not to hang in too long and to keep “flogging a dead horse!”

But how do we know when to hang in and when to quit? After we’ve done everything we can to redeem a bad situation without success, sometimes we still don’t know. It’s then that we need to commit our situation to God, seek his direction, and just plain trust him that the decision we make is in harmony with his will for us.

In times like these I ask God to give me the insight to see reality and the truth about the situation in question. Once I see this, I know what I need to do. Then I pray for the courage to do it!

God hasn’t promised to make our decisions for us or to tell us what to do. What he has promised is wisdom, guidance, and understanding and to be with us as long as we are genuinely seeking to walk in his ways. This is why in every situation I commit it and myself to God and trust him to guide and direct me.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to trust you with all my heart in every situation and not depend on my own understanding so I can know in my heart that you are directing my path. Gratefully in Jesus’ name.”

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #18363]

Sir Winston Churchill took three years getting through eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. It seems ironic that years later Oxford University asked him to address its commencement exercises. He arrived with his usual props. A cigar, a cane and a top hat accompanied Churchill wherever he went. As Churchill approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause. With unmatched dignity, he settled the crowd and stood confident before his admirers. Removing the cigar and carefully placing the top hat on the podium, Churchill gazed at his waiting audience. Authority rang in Churchill's voice as he shouted, "Never give up!" Several seconds passed before he rose to his toes and repeated: "Never give up!" His words thundered in their ears. There was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane and left the platform. His commencement address was finished.

Sir Edmund Hillary, who attempted to scale Mount Everest, lost one of the members of his team in the failed effort. He returned to a hero's welcome in London, England, where a banquet held in his honor was attended by the lords and ladies and powerful people of the British Empire. Behind the speakers' platform were huge blown-up photographs of Mount Everest.

When Hillary arose to receive the acclaim of the distinguished audience, he turned around and faced the mountain and said, "Mount Everest, you have defeated me. But I will return. And I will defeat you. Because you can't get any bigger and I can."

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(From Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do)

Sparky

""""""

For Sparky, school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in

the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero.

Sparky also flunked Latin, Algebra, and English. He didn't do much

better in sports. Although he did manage to make the school's golf team, he

promptly lost the only important match of the season. There was a also a

consolation match; he lost that, too.

Throughout his youth, Sparky was awkward socially. He was not actually

disliked by the other students; no one cared that much. He was astonished

if a classmate ever said hello to him outside of school hours.

There's no way to tell how he might have done at dating. Sparky never

once asked a girl to go out in high school. He was to afraid of being turned

down.

Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates .... everyone knew it. So he

rolled with it. Sparky had made up his mind early in life that if things

were meant to work out, they would. Otherwise he would content himself with

what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity.

However, one thing was important to Sparky -- drawing. He was proud of

his artwork. Of course, no one else appreciated it. In his senior year of

high school, he submitted some cartoons to the editor of the yearbook. The

cartoons were turned down. Despite this particular rejection, Sparky was so

convinced of his ability that he decided to become a professional artist.

After completing high school, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney Studios.

He was told to send some samples of his artwork, and the subject for a new

cartoon was suggested. Sparky drew the proposed cartoon. He spend a great

deal of time on it and on all the other drawings he submitted. Finally, the

reply came from Disney Studios. He had been rejected once again. Another

loss for the looser.

So Sparky decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons. He vividly

described his childhood self - a little boy loser and chronic underachiever.

The cartoon character would soon become famous worldwide.

For Sparky, the boy who had such a lack of success in school and whose

work was rejected again and again, was Charles Schulz. He created "Peanuts"

the comic strip and the little cartoon character whose kite would never fly

and who never succeeded in kicking a football ------ Charlie Brown.

Earl Nightingale

The Best of Bits and Pieces

Plato wrote the first sentence of his famous Republic nine different ways before he was satisfied. Cicero practiced speaking before friends every day for thirty years to perfect his elocution. Noah Webster labored 36 years writing his dictionary, crossing the Atlantic twice to gather material. Milton rose at 4:00 a.m. every day in order to have enough hours for his Paradise Lost. Gibbon spent 26 years on his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Bryant rewrote one of his poetic masterpieces 99 times before publication, and it became a classic.

It is said that Thomas Edison performed 50,000 experiments before he succeeded in producing a storage battery. We might assume the famous inventor would have had some serious doubts along the way. But when asked if he ever became discouraged working so long without results, Edison replied, "Results? Why, I know 50,000 things that won't work." [The number in this illustration varies widely - Holwick]

Today in the Word, August, 1990

Illustration: Every trip we make to one of our national parks someone in our family tries to feed a squirrel or chipmunk. In every instance the animal doesn’t trust us or any one else. Even though we leave a peanut for the animal again and again, it won’t trust us; again and again! The ingrate is never quite persuaded.

Inside, people are like these animals: wild, small, nervous, paranoid, filled with fears. But the writer of the song, “Almost Persuaded,” didn’t write it because he believed people were hopelessly lost. Rather, he wrote it because he knew it might be the next spiritual peanut which would persuade another sinner to receive what Jesus has offered - freedom from all their fears and life everlasting.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #9069]

William Carey, when asked about his great accomplishments in his work of translating the Bible into Indian languages and dialects, said: "I am not a genius, just a plodder." But what a plodder! In forty years of labor, he translated all or portions of the Bible into thirty-four of the languages and dialects of India.

Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there s a big difference between being a writer and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at the typewriter. You’ve got to want to write, I say to them, not want to be a writer.

The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune, there are thousands more whose longing is never requited. Even those who succeed often know long periods of neglect and poverty. I did.

When I left [in 1959] a 20-year career in the Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend with whom I’d grown up in Henning, Tennessee. George found me my home - a cleaned-out storage room in the Greenwich Village apartment building where he worked as superintendent. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. Immediately I bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.

After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t received a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that I barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering, What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test - even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadowland of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

Then one day I got a call that changed my life. It wasn’t an agent or editor offering a big contract. It was the opposite - a kind of siren call tempting me to give up my dream. On the phone was an old acquaintance from the Coast Guard, now stationed in San Francisco. He had once lent me a few bucks and liked to egg me about it. When am I going to get the $15, Alex? he teased.

Next time I make a sale.

I have a better idea, he said. We need a new public-information assistant our here, and we’re paying $6,000 a year. If you want it, you can have it.

Six thousand a year! That was real money in 1960. I could get a nice apartment, a used car, pay off debts and maybe save a little something. What s more, I could write on the side.

As the dollars were dancing in my head, something cleared my senses. From deep inside a bull-headed resolution welled up. I had dreamed of being a writer - full time. And that s what I was going to be. Thanks, but no, I heard myself saying. I m going to stick it out and write.

Afterward, as I paced around my little room, I started to feel like a fool. Reaching into my cupboard - an orange crate nailed to the wall - I pulled out all that was there: two cans of sardines. Plunging my hands in my pockets, I came up with 18 cents. I took the cans and coins and jammed them into a crumpled paper bag. There Alex, I said to myself. There s everything you’ve made of yourself so far. I m not sure I ever felt so low.

I wish I could say things started getting better right away. But they didn’t. Thank goodness I had George to help me over the rough spots.

Through him I met other struggling artists, like Joe Delaney, a veteran painter from Knoxville, Tennessee. Often Joe lacked food money, so he’d visit a neighborhood butcher who would give him big bones with morsels of meat, and a grocer who would hand him some wilted vegetables. That s all Joe needed to make down-home soup.

Another Village neighbor was a handsome young singer who ran a struggling restaurant. Rumor had it that if a customer ordered steak, the singer would dash to a supermarket across the street to buy one. His name was Harry Belafonte.

People like Delaney and Belafonte became role models for me. I learned that you had to make sacrifices and live creatively to keep working at your dreams. That’s what living in the Shadowland is all about.

As I absorbed the lesson, I gradually began to sell my articles. I was writing about what many people were talking about then: civil rights, black Americans and Africa. Soon, like birds flying south, my thoughts were drawn back to my childhood. In the silence of my room, I heard the voices of Grandma, Cousin Georgia, Aunt Plus, Aunt Liz and Aunt Till as they told stories about our family and slavery.

These were stories that black Americans had tended to avoid before, and so I mostly kept them to myself. But one day at lunch with editors of Reader s Digest, I told these stories of my grandmother and aunts and cousins. I said that I had a dream to trace my family’s history to the first African brought to these shores in chains. I left that lunch with a contract that would help support my research and writing for nine years.

It was a long, slow climb out of the shadows. Yet in 1970, 17 years after I left the Coast Guard, Roots was published. Instantly I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience. The shadows had turned into dazzling limelight.

For the first time I had money and open doors everywhere. The phone rang all the time with new friends and new deals. I packed up and moved to Los Angeles, where I could help in the making of the Roots TV mini-series. It was a confusing, exhilarating time, and in a sense, I was blinded by the light of my success.

Then one day, while unpacking, I came across a box filled with things I had owned years before in the Village. Inside was a brown paper bag.

I opened it, and there were two corroded sardine cans, a nickel, a dime and three pennies. Suddenly the past came flooding in like a riptide. I could picture myself once again huddled over the typewriter in that cold, bleak, one-room apartment. And I said to myself, The things in this bag are part of my roots, too. I can’t ever forget that.

I sent them out to be framed in Lucite. I keep that clear plastic case where I can see it every day. I can see it now above my office desk in Knoxville, along with the Pulitzer Prize, a portrait of nine Emmys awarded to the TV production of Roots, and the Spingarn medal - the NAACP s highest honor. I’d be hard pressed to say which means the most to me. But only one reminds me of the courage and persistence it takes to stay the course in the Shadowland.

It’s a lesson anyone with a dream should learn.

________

Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work. Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Maida Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss

Dave Longaberger graduated from high school at age 20. He repeated first grade and three-peated fifth grade. He reads at the eighth-grade level, stutters, and has epilepsy. In 1996, his company, The Longaberger Company, sold more than $525 million in handmade baskets, pottery, fabric, and other home décor items through 36,000 independent sales consultants. How did it happen?

Dave possesses an entrepreneurial spirit. As a child working in a grocery store, he learned that the way to please the boss was to figure out what the boss wanted and get it done. He studied people and learned that work could be fun and he did a better job when he enjoyed his work. In the army Dave learned about uniformity, control, consistency and Central Headquarters. He also learned to be a risk-taker and not a gambler.

Eventually Dave bought a grocery store and ran it very successfully. All the time he was preparing for bigger and better things. His optimism, patience and hard work enabled him to overcome many difficulties. We all can learn from the lessons that Dave learned on the way to the top.

“Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.” — Denis Waitley

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.” — Vince Lombardi

“Failure is an opinion. It is either an educational tool for starting over or an excuse breeding tool for saying it’s over.” — Doug Firebaugh

“I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play to win.” — Tom Hopkins

“Most people achieved their greatest successes one step beyond what looked like their greatest failure.” — Brian Tracy

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” — Napolean Hill, author

Questions to Ponder

• How well do I utilize each of the three p’s above?

• Which is my strongest attribute?

• When have I combined the three to achieve my objectives

I heard a woman say that she never prayed more than once for anything. She didn't want to weary God with her repeated requests. The Lord's teaching on prayer in Luke 11 contradicts this notion. He told a parable about a man who went to his friend's house at midnight and asked for some bread to feed his unexpected visitors. At first the friend refused, for he and his family were in bed. Finally he got up and gave him the bread-not out of friendship but because the caller was so persistent (vv.5-10). Jesus used this parable to contrast this reluctant friend with our generous heavenly Father. If an irritated neighbor will give in to his friend's persistence and grant his request, how much more readily will our heavenly Father give us all we need! It's true that God, in His great wisdom, may sometimes delay His answers to prayer. It's also true that we must pray in harmony with the Scriptures and God's will. But Jesus moved beyond those facts to urge us to persist in prayer. He told us to ask, seek, and knock until the answer comes (v.9). So don't worry about wearying God. He will never tire of your persistent prayer! -Joanie Yoder Don't think true prayer escapes God's ears, He hears your every plea; Though hope's deferred, believe-believe! The answer you will see. -Anon. God never tires of our asking.

So many of us can get excited about new things, especially new spiritual undertakings. Unfortunately, when the going gets tough, we tend to bog down and give up. Self-discipline has never been a commodity found in abundance. Those who are first responding to Jesus will find difficulty awaiting them. There is no way to avoid this. At the very least, these new believers will find themselves in a culture clash as the values of the Kingdom conflict with the values of the world around them. Often times, the world around new Christians pushes back. Sometimes it is overt persecution. Other times it is that incessant ridicule or condescension that gets to them. If Jesus faced a time of trial for 40 days after his baptism, we must know that new followers of Jesus will too. Persecution isn’t an option for most believers! (See John 16:33!)

Give me strength, O heavenly Father, to withstand the ridicule, persecution, and opposition of others. Help me be an encouragement to new believers so they do not succumb to the same kinds of problems in their lives. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Luke 11:1–13 — Lessons in Prayer « Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. The Model (”Lord’s”) Prayer; (the language is different from that found in Matthew 6:9–13, but the ideas correspond): 11:1-4 (NKJV):

1. 1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

2. It appears that the Matthew account is near the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, this near the end; what are some reasons that the Lord Jesus repeats it here?

a. « the disciple, not necessarily one of the twelve, asks Him to do so (may not have been at the Sermon on the Mount) »

b. « if, as it appears, this is meant as a model of prayer, then the model should be repeated for the students to learn »

c. « Jesus was immersed in prayer; He conveyed its importance to His disciples in both word and example »

3. for whom does this prayer make its requests (look at the pronouns)? … what does this teach us about the primary goal of our praying? « — it is for “us”; this prayer is either corporate, or for us as individuals to pray for us a the body of Christ; our prayer is intended primarily for others, not our own self-interests »

4. is this an appropriate prayer for unbelievers? … why or why not?

a. « it is inappropriate

(A) they cannot address God as Father

(B) the believer can pray for God’s will without danger since he is no longer under condemnation (Romans 8:1) but for the unbeliever this would subject him to judgment

(C) for the believer, having a forgiving spirit should precede being able to ask for forgiveness (Matthew 6:14–15); the unbeliever can make no such claim, but only ask forgiveness depending on God’s mercy »

5. What are the major elements in this prayer?

a. « praise, worship or adoration: “Hallowed be Thy Name” – to reverence the Name is to reverence the Person »

b. « expressing desire for consecration, alignment with His will

(A) Our Father

(B) Thy kingdom come

(C) Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven »

c. « supplication for corporate needs: “keep on giving our daily bread” »

d. « confession and dealing with sin

(A) for sins past or latent: “forgive … as we”

(B) for sins future or potential: “lead us not … deliver” »

B. Assurances of answered prayer, Luke 11:5-13

1. The Value of Persistence, 11:5–8 (NKJV): 5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.”

a. consider the picture given. In a small village, a traveller arrives at midnight. His host has the sacred duty of hospitality and asks a friend for three small loaves, just enough for one hungry man. But, the friend is in bed. Perhaps he is poor, and there is but one room, with the animals at a lower level. To get up will disturb them and the whole family. Giving the bread is no problem, but getting up is! But the host will not go away, cannot go away, and his shamelessness in asking wins the day. (adapted from a note by Leon Morris)

b. what are the lessons here for our prayer life?

(A) « prayer is a serious matter about serious matters »

(B) « answers may not come immediately; that should not be taken as “No” but as a test of our conviction of the thing being prayed for and our faith in the Giver »

(C) « it is not God’s not wanting to answer prayer, but that He desires that we discover, through our persistence, how important is that for which we pray »

2. Three Aspects of Supplication, 11:9–10 (NKJV): 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

a. in respect to bringing our petitions to God, there are three verbs used here; each of which are complementary. What is the implication of …

b. keep on asking? « — consider the prayers: “Lord, if You do such and such, then I’ll …” and “God, You have said, so do this …” – not demands, not bargaining, but pleas »

c. keep on seeking? « — consider the requests: “Show me your will for my life” and “Teach me how to be holy” – answer to prayer and the right prayer found in searching the Word »

d. keep on knocking? « — consider the petitions: “Father, show me how I can serve You” and “Lord, give me a ministry in this church” — get up, get out, and get to work; try the doors that are there, letting God open or close as He will »

3. The Father-God Element in Prayer, 11:11–13 (NKJV): 11 “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

a. what are the two lessons about prayer that are to be learned from the father-child relationship?

(A) « earthly fathers, as a norm and despite other failures as fathers, respond to the needs of their children; God acts in the same fashion to our needs »

(B) « earthly fathers do this, despite the imperfections from a sinful nature; God, who is perfectly good and loving, acts without such human restrictions »

b. what do Jesus’ words identify as the supreme need of the Christian, of the child of God? « — the indwelling Holy Spirit »

c. what are some reasons that this is the supreme need (see Romans 8 for some of these)?

(A) « He enables a daily, God-pleasing walk (Rom 8:1, 4, 8) »

(B) « He dwells in us giving us spiritual life (Rom 8:9-11) »

(C) « He leads us (Rom 8:14) »

(D) « He confirms our child-Father relationship to God (Rom 8:15-17) »

(E) « He is the promise in us of the glory to come (Rom 8:23) »

(F) « He helps us in our weaknesses (Rom 8:26) »

(G) « He teaches us to pray and intercedes acceptably to God for us in those things where we cannot (Rom 8:26-27) »

Dr. Judah Folkman keeps a reproduction of a 1903 New York Times article in his archives. In it two physics professors explain why airplanes could not possibly fly. The article appeared just three months before the Wright brothers split the air at Kitty Hawk.

In the early 1970s, Folkman proposed an idea in cancer research that did not fit what scientists “knew” to be true: that tumors did not generate new blood vessels to “feed” themselves and grow. He was convinced that they did. But colleagues kept telling him, “You're studying dirt,” meaning his project was futile science.

Folkman disregarded the catcalls of the research community. For two decades, he met with disinterest or hostility as he pursued his work in angiogenesis, the study of the growth of new blood vessels. At one research convention, half the audience walked out. “He's only a surgeon,” he heard someone say.

But he always believed that his work might help stop the growth of tumors, and might help find ways to grow blood vessels where they were needed - like around clogged arteries in the heart.

Folkman and his colleagues discovered the first angiogenesis inhibitors in the 1980s. Today more than 100,000 cancer patients are benefiting from the research he pioneered. His work is now recognized as being on the forefront in the fight to cure cancer.

“There is a fine line between persistence and obstinacy,” Folkman says. “I have come to realize the key is to choose a problem that is worth persistent effort.”

________

Source: Copyright July 2005, The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved., http://www.readersdigest.com/

I was at a training meeting a couple of weeks ago in the new business I am in when a fellow mentioned a really profound story. God instantly gave me a parable as to how this relates to our walk with Him.

The story that was related was the Laker Game two weekends ago when the Lakers were ahead of their opponents in the third quarter of the game. They were feeling smug and confident and sure that they would win. But something happened.

Their attitude turned into complacency and as a result, they did not try as hard as they did in the first three quarters and guess what happened. They lost! Apparently their coach was so upset that he would allow no media to come in to the locker room. Can you imagine what those multimillion dollar players heard? Well, this is a Christian story, so I won’t try to guess.

But I am sure that their coach was quite upset and frustrated with their attitude of letting up before the game was over.

What about God? I bet He isn’t very happy either when people have been running the race for Him and all of the sudden they let up. The excuses can be many, they are too busy, their family demands their time, they are just tired of it all, people are mean, people are jealous, they are tired, and on and on.

The Bible says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That is the secret to keeping on when the going gets tough and you feel like throwing in the towel and don’t care who wins the game.

God cares. He wants you to win. That’s why He says in Hebrews 12:1 the following: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. [2] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

God already knows that we are going to get tired. He knows we are going to get mad sometimes. Even mad at Him. I’ll never forget about six years ago I was so frustrated and could not see clearly the picture that God had for my life (because I was trying to paint the picture instead of Him!). I was so angry (really at myself, but I took it out on God) that I took my Bible and threw it on the ground and started jumping on it and picked it up and threw it at the wall. I had a first class temper tantrum that day. Then the strangest thing happened.

When all was said and done, I felt such a peace in my heart. I could feel very strongly the presence of God right within me and around me. I thought, hmmmmmm, this is really strange. Here I just got royally mad at God and through His Book all over the place, and yet I feel calm and peaceful and relaxed.

God revealed to me that He was glad that I had that temper tantrum. Why? Well, because the Bible says “never go to bed angry”. I had been carrying anger and frustration for a long time. It’s no wonder I couldn’t see God’s plan for my life. He wanted me to get it off my chest. Let’s face it, He already knew I was mad because He knows our EVERY thought in advance. So, He was happy that I finally released that burden.

It was shortly after that when Steve and I got engaged and got married three months later. That was God’s plan all along, I just couldn’t see it.

So, if you ever get mad at God or have a temper tantrum, remember, He still loves you and He knows what was on your heart anyway. I found the best way to relate to God is just to be honest with Him and never try to hide anything because He already knows it anyway. So, if I am open and honest with my feelings, then He can help me. And do you think that God wants to help us? Of course!!! That’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross for me and you!

If only the Lakers would have kept up their spirit that they had in the beginning and continued the race, they would have won. I won because I continued to persevere even after I was totally frustrated and tired of running the race.

I once ran the Los Angeles Marathon 5K run. It was my first time to ever run in a marathon and I trained for two and a half weeks. I was so motivated and excited because I used to run track that I had no question in my mind that I could do it. I kept visualizing winning and crossing over that finish line. I did win, in God’s eyes. I ran the course in 33.3 minutes (God’s perfect number – three threes!!!) I even have a photograph of the time when I came in to the finish line. The winner ran in 17 minutes, so I felt great about my time.

What God said to me then was that it didn’t matter HOW face you ran the race, it was the fact that you FINISHED the race!!! That is the most important thing! As I was running the course, they had bands lining the course to entertain the runners and when I got up to one band they were playing “Lean On Me”. That message was so profound to me that day. It is Jesus we need to lean on to finish the race.

Remember, He has already finished the race and won, so the moment we dedicated our lives to Him, we became winners too. There is no excuse to let up in the game.

In Revelation it tells us that the overcomers are the ones who are going to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Revelation 21:7. God wants us not to get discouraged and tired or overly confident in ourselves, but to lean on Jesus and let Him help us overcome our trials so that we may finish the race.

We don’t want God to give us a talk like the Lakers must have had that night. I have a saying “If God ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. Be happy and keep God happy. Call on Him for all your needs. Let Him take care of your troubles. He is here for you. He is your coach. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

With God as your Coach, you cannot possibly lose. After all, He is the Creator of the Universe, the Creator of YOU and HE LOVES YOU!!! Why would He want you to fail? He doesn’t.

So give it to God, through Jesus, pray without ceasing and run the race with boldness. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

Run the race, finish that basketball game with gusto and dignity. Don’t let up. You never know when someone may come in and try to beat you. Ask God to give you the strength and the faith to follow His calling for your life. Find out what it is and never let go. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8

I can’t believe how many scriptures are in the New Testament talking about running the race. When I was looking them up for this writing I found many. The message is clear. Keep going, keep believing, keep trusting. Then God can continue to move you up to the next level in the race. One day, you will be finished, and you will have won, just by your perseverance.

As my friend Bob Bonnell of Bob Bonnell Ministries says “Keep on keeping on!”. Friends, run the race and don’t stop. If there is a lull in your life and you feel confident, just keep on checking with God. You don’t want to let up like the Lakers and think you have the game won when you don’t. Ask God to reveal His continuing plans for you and follow His path. It’s the only way to go.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

God will bless you as you commit yourself to follow His path. Then you will be assured of winning the race. Enter into the narrow gate, not the broad one, and see just what God has in store for you today.

Win that game!!!

With love always in Jesus,

Les Brown and his twin brother were adopted by Mamie Brown, a kitchen worker and maid, shortly after their birth in a poverty-stricken Miami neighborhood.

Because of his hyperactivity and nonstop jabber, Les was placed in special education classes for the learning disabled in grade school and throughout high school. Upon graduation, he became a city sanitation worker in Miami Beach. But he had a dream of being a disc jockey.

At night he would take a transistor radio to bed where he listened to the local jive-talking deejays. He created an imaginary radio station in his tiny room with its torn vinyl flooring. A hairbrush served as his microphone as he practiced his patter, introducing records to his ghost listeners.

His mother and brother could hear him through the thin walls and would shout at him to quit flapping his jaws and go to sleep. But Les didn’t listen to them. He was wrapped up in his own world, living a dream.

One day Les boldly went to the local radio station during his lunch break from mowing grass for the city. He got into the station manager’s office and told him he wanted to be a disc jockey.

The manager eyed this disheveled young man in overalls and a straw hat and inquired, “Do you have any background in broadcasting?”

Les replied, “No sir, I don’t.”

“Well, son, I’m afraid we don’t have a job for you then.”

Les thanked him politely and left. The station manager assumed that he had seen the last of this young man. But he underestimated the depth of Les Brown’s commitment to his goal. You see, Les had a higher purpose than simply wanting to be a disc jockey. He wanted to buy a nicer house for his adoptive mother, whom he loved deeply. The disc jockey job was merely a step toward his goal.

Mamie Brown had taught Les to pursue his dreams, so he felt sure that he would get a job at that radio station in spite of what the station manager had said.

And so Les returned to the station every day for a week, asking if there were any job openings. Finally the station manager gave in and took him on as an errand boy – at no pay. At first, he fetched coffee or picked up lunches and dinner for the deejays who could not leave the studio. Eventually his enthusiasm for their work won him the confidence of the disc jockeys who would send him in their Cadillacs to pick up visiting celebrities such as the Temptations and Diana Ross and the Supremes. Little did any of them know that young Les did not have a driver’s license.

Les did whatever was asked of him at the station – and more. While hanging out with the deejays, he taught himself their hand movements on the control panel. He stayed in the control rooms and soaked up whatever he could until they asked him to leave. Then, back in his bedroom at night, he practiced and prepared himself for the opportunity that he knew would present itself.

One Saturday afternoon while Les was at the station, a deejay named Rock was drinking while on the air. Les was the only other person in the building, and he realized that Rock was drinking himself toward trouble. Les stayed close. He walked back and forth in front of the window in Rock’s booth. As he prowled, he said to himself. “Drink, Rock, drink!”

Les was hungry, and he was ready. He would have run down the street for more booze if Rock had asked. When the phone rang, Les pounced on it. It was the station manager, as he knew it would be.

“Les, this is Mr. Klein.”

“Yes,” said Les. “I know.”

“Les, I don’t think Rock can finish his program.”

“Yes sir, I know.”

“Would you call one of the other deejays to come in and take over?”

“Yes, sir. I sure will.”

But when Les hung up the telephone, he said to himself, “Now, he must think I’m crazy.”

Les did dial the telephone, but it wasn’t to call in another deejay. He called his mother first, and then his girlfriend. “You all go out on the front porch and turn up the radio because I’m about to come on the air!” he said.

He waited about 15 minutes before he called the general manager. “Mr. Klein, I can’t find nobody,” Les said.

Mr. Klein then asked, “Young man, do you know how to work the controls in the studio?”

“Yes sir,” replied Les.

Les darted into the booth, gently moved Rock aside and sat down at the turntable. He was ready. And he was hungry. He flipped on the microphone switch and said, “Look out! This is me LB, triple P – Les Brown, Your Platter Playing Poppa. There were none before me and there will be none after me. Therefore, that makes me the one and only. Young and single and love to mingle. Certified, bona fide, indubitably qualified to bring you satisfaction, a whole lot of action. Look out, baby, I’m your lo-o-ove man”

Because of his preparation, Les was ready. He vowed the audience and his general manager. From that fateful beginning, Les went on to a successful career in broadcasting, politics, public speaking and television.

Sometimes kids don’t get it quite right, like the boy who came home from Sunday School and said to his Mom, “Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night.”

You may have said it yourself — “They just don’t make things like they used to.” A notable exception is the car tire . A typical tire lasts 40,000 miles and makes about 32,458,650 revolutions over often rough and abrasive road surfaces. Incredible!

Do they make people like they used to? Good question. Do we have staying power? I’m sure we all know of someone who flits from church to church every time some little thing irritates them — they have no tolerance level for things they may not care for.

Resilience is a wonderful virtue — the ability to give and take in life’s encounters. My church may not be perfect, but I try to do my part to move it in a positive direction while being flexible enough to accept the views of others. Contend for your faith, but don’t be contentious. Like the man said, “I’m looking for a perfect church, but if I find it, I’d better not join it for fear of messing it up.”

Philippians 1: 9-10 (nlt) sums it up, “I pray that your love for each other will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns.”

In a day when people concoct almost any excuse for failing to keep a commitment, and would rather give up than give all, someone like Larry Swilling stands out.

Swilling, 78, spent almost a year walking hundreds of miles around South Carolina with a sandwich board sign that read, “Need Kidney 4 Wife,” according to news reports. His efforts finally paid off when a donor came forward.

Swilling’s wife of 55 years, Jimmie Sue, was born with only one kidney and it began failing last year. When tests showed Swilling and his three children all had the wrong blood type to be donors, Swilling hit the streets.

Jimmie Sue, 76 and on a transplant list, could have waited years for the right organ to come along. He husband was not willing to play the waiting game. He did what we could; he hit the streets with his sign.

Swilling walked the main thoroughfares in and around his hometown of Anderson, S.C., toting his sign with one thought in mind, “We’re just hoping every day, every minute, we get the call to head to Charleston for a transplant.”

In heat, in cold, in rain, Swilling walked with the sign that stated his very specific need along with his phone number. As media coverage drew attention to his wife’s plight, calls started coming in from all over the world.

Some people offered money, Swilling said, but the couple turned down monetary offers. “I just want my kidney,” Swilling told CNN several months ago. “That’s going to save my wife.”

The Medical University of South Carolina has informed the Swillings of a viable, willing donor. If all goes well, Jimmie Sue could receive the new kidney -- and a new lease on life -- Sept. 12.

Among lessons to glean from Swilling’s story is the fact that love is a commitment, not a feeling. This husband was committed to the point of doing whatever he could to help the woman he calls “my heart.”

“I knew it was going to happen [that a kidney would be found] because I know him,” Jimmie Sue recently told Fox Carolina. “He wouldn’t have stopped until he got me one.”

When marriages break up for almost any reason, many times for seemingly no reason, it is encouraging to see a couple totally and completely committed to one another.

It is not only the longevity but the intensity of the Swillings’ marriage that is impressive. “I love her more now than, I believe, when I married her, because we’re not two; we’re one,” Swilling told CNN. “We need each other, and we’ve been together so long.”

It is Swilling’s commitment of love, not the fleeting feeling some call love, that drove him to don a sandwich board sign and walk, and walk, and walk, day after day in the hope that someone would see his message and respond. That is love, committed love.

Swilling’s love for his wife caused him to ignore what anybody might think about his actions. I am sure there were people who thought his quest was foolish or futile, but he was not swayed. He just faithfully walked whenever able.

With over 119,000 candidates on the transplant waiting list at any given time, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, what were the odds that a man walking around with a sign would find a suitable donor?

What people thought or how great the odds were against him mattered not. Swilling’s commitment motivated him to do what he could for his ailing wife. “Till death do us part” was not just a poetic and perfunctory part of a wedding ceremony; to Swilling they were words of ironclad commitment.

Aside from the lesson that real love is a commitment and not some fleeting feeling, a secondary lesson is also evident. The choice of self-reliance is more hopeful than self-pity.

When it became evident that Jimmie Sue’s kidney was beginning to fail, Swilling and his bride could have stewed in self-pity. They could have lamented their plight and resigned themselves to the unlikelihood of receiving a kidney.

Instead of self-pity, Swilling chose self-reliance. There were not many things he could do to address the situation he faced. Rather than focus on what he could not do, Swilling dedicated himself to what he could do. He could construct a simple sandwich board sign that succinctly communicated his need. He could walk along thoroughfares in his city in public view. He could hope his message would be seen and yield results.

Swilling refused to quit. He kindled hope. He persisted. He could not do much to change his wife’s situation, but he did what he could. He made a sign. He walked and refused to give up.

Yes, in a day when commitments are like pie crusts, easily made and easily broken, and the path of least resistance well worn, a man like Larry Swilling stands out. He has simply and poignantly given us a living picture of true love and self-reliance.

Sermon in Parables series. The Unjust Judge

"THE UNJUST JUDGE" Luke 18:1-8

I. Problems with prayer.

II. Jesus compares God to the unjust judge.

A. Similarity? - God isn't fair. He must be pestered for answers.

B. Contrast - God is very fair.

C. The only similarity is their delayed response.

III. Point of parable: If even a corrupt judge can be brought to answer a

widow, how much more will God answer his saints.

A. "Should always pray" indicates duty and necessity of persistence.

B. What about the "speedy" justice in 18:8?

IV. Jesus and persistence.

A. Jesus practiced persistence, esp. in Gethsemane. Luke 22:42

B. Jesus commanded persistence. Luke 11:9

C. Not vain repetition. Matt 6:7-8

V. Four principles of prayer.

A. Most essential ingredient of prayer is to be a committed disciple.

B. To understand prayer, we must understand the character of God.

C. Persistence in prayer shows our devotion, not God's stinginess.

D. You never need to stop persisting in prayer.

VI. Jesus is coming back.

A. Will you be a Christian?

B. Will you be faithfully persisting in prayer?

#2183

Helpful article:

"Why Keep Bothering God?" by Curtis C. Mitchell (Bible professor at Biola),

Christianity Today, 12/13/85, p. 33f.

*

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do,and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day.For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down; his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan)decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: "you have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved." Thus,giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and the he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."

And that is what he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord."Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why.am I failing? "The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that eally so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done.Now I, My friend, will now move the rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means,exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves.

When everything seems to go wrong ... just P.U.S.H.!

When the job gets you down ... just P.U.S.H.!

When people don't react the way you think they should...just P.U.S.H.!

When our money looks "gone" and the bills are due...just P.U.S.H!

When people just don't understand you ... just PUSH...

P= Pray U= Until S= Something H = Happens P.U.S.H.!