“Elisha... said to the king of Israel, ‘Strike the ground.’ The king struck the ground three times and then quit.” “The Holy Man became angry with him: ‘Why didn’t you hit the ground five or six times? Then you would beat Aram until he was finished. As it is, you’ll defeat him three times only.’”
You get out of life exactly what you put into it. If I want a good relationship with my kids, I must invest emotionally in their lives. If I want success in business, I have to work hard and remain dedicated to my clients. If I want to learn the Bible, I must take time to read and study it. If I want my wife to respect me, I’ve got to show her, in practical ways, how much I love her. If I want to be close to Jesus, I get to spend time in prayer talking with Him. If I want to be an accomplished musician, I have no other option but to practice, practice, practice!
If I want to be proficient at any endeavor, I am required to give, practice, work, pray, study, and invest with passion and perseverance.
The king of Israel lacked passion and perseverance. He wanted to defeat his oppressor Aram. Elisha promised it would happen, but it did not. Elisha was a “Holy Man.” He spoke for God. What went wrong?
Prophetic words do not act in a vacuum. They require cooperative effort from the person for whom their message is intended. If a true prophet of God says, “You will be a great leader in the body of Christ” and you do nothing to hone your leadership skills, his prophecy will not come to pass.
The next time you are called upon to exercise your divinely appointed gifts, don’t go halve-sies. Finish the job. Gather some passion and perseverance. Show some stick-to-it-ive-ness. Go all the way. Invest yourself with total abandon. “The king struck the ground three times and then quit.” Don’t make that mistake. “Hit the ground five or six times,” or more! It takes faith to work, pray, study, prepare, give, practice, and invest your life but Jesus will give you the strength.
Trust Him and don’t give up. Do whatever it takes to get the job He’s called you to do... done!
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The beautiful painting above is entitled "Perseverance" by Thomas Kinkade (1958-2012).
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