Want God's blessing? Persevere!

"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12 NASB)

Life has its challenges – press forward through them!

Shortly after purchasing our first house, we decided to build a deck off the back porch. I had never built a deck before, so I went to a friend of mine, a home builder, to ask him for some advice. He said, “Do you know what you want your deck to look like?” And I said, “Yes, I do.” He then relied, “Great! Now just get started and build it!” I said, “But, I have never built a deck before!” And he said, “The main thing is to make your plan. Get all the materials you need. Then get started and keep working at it until it is completely done. “That’s it?” I said, “What if I run into problems?” And he said, “Every job has problems! That's just the way it is. But, you can't  allow anything to stop you. You solve problems as you discover them. Then, you eventually get to the end with a completed project.”

So, I did exactly what he said and built my first deck. Yes, I did run into a few problems along the way, and figured out a solution for each one.

It's pretty much the same with anything you need to get done

Whether it's something at home (building a deck), at school (assignments), at work (job projects), or at play (sports or hobbies), it's the same process. You need to know what it looks like (envision it). You need a plan (steps needed to do it).  You need to collect the materials to do the job. You need to get started. You need to solve problems as you discover them. And, most importantly, you need to keep working at it until it gets completely done.

Keep pressing forward!

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14

Some interesting epigrams about perseverance

• There aren't any hard-and-fast rules for getting ahead in the world - just hard ones.
• You don't have to lie awake nights to succeed. Just stay awake days.
• There is no poverty that can overtake diligence. -Japanese proverb
• "By perseverance the snail reached the Ark." – Charles Spurgeon

• Triumph is just "umph" added to try.