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