Thursday, February 18, 2016

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 21: Rock and Water



Key Verse

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lesson
Note: This lesson is best done in an area where listeners can see rock that has been eroded by water.

What is stronger but softer than rock? Water of course. How can this be you may be thinking. The banks of most water ways are dirt or mud that the water easily washes away. But water can also carve away solid rock. Rock is strong and durable, but given enough time, water will erode the rock away. What is the secret behind water's strength? It is the persistence of water. Day after day, year after year the water flows over the rock and washes it away a little at a time. What may seem impossible becomes possible through persistence.

Persistence means to keep trying at something until succeeding. The Bible also calls this perseverance. There are many things in life that are too big to change all at once. We may not be strong or powerful enough to change something quickly. We may not succeed on the first try. James Watkins a prominent Christian author once said, " A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence." That is why water, which is softer than rock, can still overcome it.

Paul reminds us in Romans 2:7 that it takes persistence to live the way Jesus wants us too. We have to keep trying, every day, to do good and avoid evil. Only when we reach heaven will we no longer be tempted to sin. Even though we are saved, we sill need to persist against temptation. Persistence is important in many other areas of our lives. Like water, whenever we hit a barrier that is difficult to overcome, all we need is a little persistence— to keep trying until we succeed.

Questions

What is something you have persisted at and overcome?

When we struggle to avoid evil and temptation, where can we get extra strength to persist?


In what other areas of life is persistence useful?

Written by David F. Garner
Photo Credit: BKD via www.pixabay.com