The Power of Persistance.....

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. "

-Calvin Coolidge

I was watching a few stories this week, and I saw several pretty inspiring stories. Without me writing too much, there really is something to said about have the ability persist, endure, and continue. There are several scriptures and stories, characters and scriptures in the Bible that embody this. Look at the Stories of Moses, David, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel and Jesus. All very real accounts of what it means to persist in spite of.

and here are just a few scriptures:

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

HEB 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.


But even today, there are some pretty inspiring account of real people running into some real trouble in pursuit of their dreams and aspirations and persisting nonetheless. Please see below. There are lessons many of us can take from this account. This is from Matt Long, Google the name, its crazy what the dude went through.

God's Property.....

I was rollin' around, in my mind it occurred/
What if God was a her?/
Would I treat her the same? Would I still be runnin' game on her?/
In what type of ways would I want her?/
Would I want her for her mind or her heavenly body?/
Couldn't be out gettin' bogus with someone so godly/
If I was wit' her would I still be wantin' my ex?/
The lies, the greed, the weed, the sex/
Wouldn't be ashamed to give her part of my check/
Wearin' her cross, I mean the heart on my neck/
Her I would reflect on the streets of the Chi'/
Ride wit' her, 'cause I know for me she'd die/
Through good and bad call on her like I'm chirpin' her/
Couldn't be jealous 'cause other brothers worship her/
Walk this earth for her, glory, I'm grateful/
To be in her presence I try to stay faithful/

Common-Faithful

"A psalm of David. The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him." Psalms 24 :1

I heard this song and I really appreciated the metaphor he used in the lyrics. It was looking at dating relationships from more of an eternal perspective, particularly  on how a guy would treat and interact with a girl if she had a not so average background. I listen to this and it intrigues me, because as  men, usually when we approach a girl we usually have an idea of how we see this interaction proceeding, especially depending on the setting we are in when we do. We also have a tendency to categorize girls as we date them, which can be a little dangerous because this train of thought can also dictate how we treat them. " Oh man, she's a good girl. I can't treat her like that" or " Yeah I'm talking to her, but I don't really like her, I'm just gonna keep it going until something better comes

along." Those are statements common in conversation among both men and women. I don't want to just get on guys because girls definitely do this too, but as the scripture says "..The world and all its people belong to him." That's something to keep in mind when we interact with people. In the above song what he was saying was pretty true, at least with regards to his thinking. People are God's property and you really should reflect on that. I am pretty sure he wouldn't be too happy if you misused and abused anything that belonged him. "So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?" Luke 16:11-12

I would challenge you and me both to take this mindset into all  of our relationships, and if there are any we may be abusing to stop, tell God we're sorry, and don't do it again. the beautiful thing about God is he wants to forget your sin quicker than you do. "I, even I, am he who blots out  your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." Isaiah 43: 25

It takes two..or more

 

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
-Proverbs 27:10

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
-Ecclesiates 4:12

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
-Proverb 17:17

"There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother."
-Proverbs 18:24

11As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
-Exodus 17 : 11-12

There is a lot of value in making sure you have good relationships in your life. I hear it all the time and believe that you can't do life alone. Life gets hard, and its always good to have a good support system of people around you. Let me stress good. Two people can carry a heavier load much easier than one. There is a scripture where we are instructed as people to: "Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."(Galatians 6 : 2) Many of the successful people we see didn't get there by themselves. Micheal Jordan didn't start winning championships with the bulls until more play makers were added to roster. Steve Jobs didn't start apple up by himself, he needed his partner and friend Steve Wozniak. I can also look at nearly all of my major accomplishments in life and see clearly where there was someone helping me achieve them.  Im not gonna make this too long but I just really wanted to illuminate the importance of making sure you have good, supportive, relationships in your life. Relationships that will encourage as well as challenge you. People that will call you out and be honest with you, even if it may hurt your feelings or put themselves in an uncomfortable postition.
I stressed good earlier because we all have heard the phrase "lay with dogs and you come up with fleas," or "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."(1 Corinthians 15:33) The wrong relationships can hinder you rather than help, so lastly  I would challenge you to examine  and evaluate the company you keep.


and i gotta end with one more video, haha.

Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman  

 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

Russel Simmons and Rick Reuben: Founders of Def Jam Records 

Steve Young and Jerry Rice after a superbowl victory

This is Funny

This is a skit on things christian girls say, its funny ( not offensive either)

More than words....

Check out these songs

" ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. "

-1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

I believe everyone is familiar with this verse, if you've been to a wedding or even seen the movie wedding crashers I'm sure at some point you've heard this. And I think that the songs above echo what that verse is saying, love really isn't a phrase or feeling to be used lightly. It seems to me that its more of an action and commitment. Everything up there sounds beautiful when read, but really think about what it is asking of you. To be patient with someone, to be kind possibly when the other person (s)  aren't being kind to you, to not get angered quickly even in a situation where emotions and voices are high, to keep no records of wrong ..I personally wrestle with much of what is listed. Its hard not hold things against people sometimes, even after they apologize, and its hard not to get angry with difficult people. I am curious to hear any thoughts on this (love), especially on the week of Valentine's Day where its hard to flip a coin without seeing the words I love you. I definitely think it can cause you to really evaluate your "love" for some things. The challenging aspect of this to me is that it doesn't specify that you can pick certain things about love within this passage given your situation...It says love is ..... period, point blank..not love can't be this today but tomorrow its a different story.

May the Force Be With You.....

It's interesting the things you can learn from a child. This short and popular commercial echoes a lot of important themes and lessons that I think many people can take to heart. It's not a coincidence that Jesus said "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." ( Matthew 18:3). What is it that is special about children? Really think about that, and what are the characteristics that a child possesses that you think we should? There is also the verse that says "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." (1 Corinthians 13:11) It seems a bit confusing doesn't it, but I think there is a real difference between being childish and childlike. What are your thoughts after watching this and comparing the verses?