Title: Sincere and Persevering Faith
Contents
title ; sincere faith steadfast faith
main text ; Proverbs 28:10
Once upon a time, in a village, there lived a hopping rabbit and a crawling turtle. One day the rabbit came up to the tortoise and said, "Hey, you sluggish turtle! Why don't you try a race with me? You can't be my opponent, but how about you?" The rabbit said ignoring the tortoise.
Then the tortoise answered. "Rabbit, even though I'm slow, shall I have a game? I'll show you that fast isn't the best!" And the hare and the tortoise asked to meet in the garden at 1 o'clock tomorrow. And finally the race started. It was a race to get to the pine tree on the top of the hill first.
The rabbit jumped and ran away in an instant. But the tortoise was sweating profusely and crawling. The rabbit was running, and when he looked back, he saw the tortoise very far away and said: "Aww, that sluggish turtle! It must still be a long way to get here. Let's take a nap here!"
While the rabbit was sleeping for a long time on the hill, the tortoise kept crawling. Now, a little further, we reached the pine tree. Then the rabbit woke up and was startled. "No, the tortoise has already reached the pine tree!" The rabbit got up and ran, hopping, but the tortoise, which had been crawling steadily, arrived first.
"Long live the tortoise! Hurray!" In this way, the tortoise won the race between the rabbit and the tortoise. From then on, the rabbit never teased the tortoise again for being slow.
Guys, has anyone not heard of this story? If so, I don't know if it's someone who didn't go to elementary school properly, or someone who was born and raised here in Canada. And it is assumed that listening to this story will usually give you an idea of the subject.
However, people are good at forgetting or ignoring truths that are too simple, too easy, and too natural. In other words, they forget or ignore the common truth that sincerity and perseverance lead them on the path to success, and they think that some special talent or gift leads them on the path to success and success.
These days, when someone says, "That person is so sincere!", "It must be frustrating because that person is a bit inflexible!" It is often taken as meaning. In other words, people these days are trying to find the secret to getting ahead quickly, getting recognized quickly, and being successful quickly in the strangest places.
I think it takes a good talk and good humor to succeed, so I read a book where I become a talker and focus my mind on it. Or, there are quite a few people who want to be a genius of flattery and flattery, knowing that they need to look good to their boss and hold the line to succeed.
So how does our God see us when he sees us? He does not look on our words, not on appearances, on knowledge, on learning, on money, on our hearts. Even if it rains or snows, the heart of their heart does not change, and God recognizes those who are faithful and persistent toward God with one heart.
One day God spoke to the prophet Samuel to choose a man who would be king of Israel. "Samuel, fill your horns with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king from among his sons" (1 Samuel 16:1).
Upon receiving God's command, Samuel went to Jesse's house to choose a king for Israel, and he had eight sons. As the eldest son Eliab stood before Samuel in order, the prophet Samuel was amazed by his height and appearance. "Surely here is the one whom the LORD anoints!"
When Samuel anointed Eliab, his eldest son, to be king over Israel, God said, "Stop moving! Samuel, do not look at his appearance or height. What I see is not like a man. A man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
In this way, seven sons of Jesse came to Samuel in order, but God did not make them kings of Israel. The youngest son David was chosen by God to be king of Israel. David was a shepherd tending sheep. Even on the day that the prophet Samuel visited, David was consistently and faithfully tending the sheep.
He didn't go out to be king like his brothers did, and he didn't brag or brag to impress the prophet Samuel. But David was faithful. There was constant loyalty even in small things. God watched him closely.
?쏛 person who is so persistent and sincere like that, even if he becomes the king of Israel or gives him riches and honor, his heart will not change, he will fear God and serve God!??No, David was a steady person. He was a man who looked to God in good times and sad times, prayed consistently, sang constantly, and served God consistently.
He was a man of steadfast faith, serving God until death, walking with God, and dwelling in the house of Jehovah forever after death. God praised David as 'a man after my own heart'.
Guys, what kind of person do you want to be? Are you a person who easily loses his/her heart and changes? Or do you want to become a person like David, who faithfully carries out his duties faithfully and faithfully no matter how difficult circumstances come?
Gentlemen, it's easy to be loyal once in a while, but it's difficult to be loyal all your life even if you don't shine. It is not easy to remain faithful and faithful throughout your life in a low position in a poor environment that the people of the world are not very satisfied with.
Moreover, it may seem foolish to work steadily in today's chaotic world of values that fool the steadfast and the sincere.
Do you know the story of the ant and the grasshopper? "The ant worked hard in the summer, but the grasshopper only played in the summer and it turned into a cold winter. The grasshopper had nothing to eat, so he became a pitiful beggar who was eaten by the ants." Guys, this is the first part of the story of the ant and the grasshopper. It is a normal society.
But the second story goes like this. "While working hard, the ant fell ill with a herniated disc. He spent all his money on medical expenses and became an ant. However, the grasshopper only sang and became so good at singing, he released an album. sold like a grasshopper, and at last the grasshopper became very rich."
Ladies and gentlemen, this story speaks of an era of chaos of values. People think that working hard and diligently like an ant will only cause a herniated disc and cause damage. And like a grasshopper, if his song hits a hit, he thinks he'll make a lot of money right away. So, instead of trying to live the steady and faithful life of an ant, I try to live an opportunistic life like a grasshopper.
Have you ever heard this proverb while studying English?
"Many a pickle makes a mickle."
"Many drops make a shower."
"Slow and steady wins the race.
The Bible also speaks of perseverance and sincerity.
?쏷he Lord protects the faithful??(Psalm 31:23).
"Better is a poor man who walks in integrity than a rich man who walks hard" (Proverbs 28:6).
?쏝lessed are the faithful??(Proverbs 28:10).
"Let his faithfulness be food" (Psalm 37:3).
Edison, the inventor of electricity, said: "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% hard work" You, all great leaders, and quite a few artists attest to these words. Behind their seemingly effortless creations lies the most rigorous and steady self-discipline.
Among them is a world-famous English pianist named Paderewski. He spent every day practicing. It is a well-known fact that he rehearsed 50 times to perfect one measure, one sheet music.
One time Queen Victoria heard him play and said: "Mr Padereuski, you are a real genius." Then he replied: "Maybe. But, Queen, I am a hard worker before a genius."
Gentlemen, it is easy to dedicate and devote yourself to a fleeting impulse or excitement and pleasure. However, it is not an easy task to consistently and faithfully dedicate one's life to the end of one's life, on the same road, whether in difficult or pleasant times.
Many people have a faith that jumps and jumps when they receive grace, and when they like it, they don't hesitate. There is a kind of faith that opposes the church as if you met an enemy when you feel good and you feel like you are willing to risk your life, but when your feelings get worse and you feel uncomfortable.
Some people move from church to church every two or three years and lead a wandering life of faith. In this state, it would be difficult to say that faith is growing.
A person who consistently follows the Lord, a person who prays consistently, a person who serves consistently, a person who worships consistently, a person who consistently maintains her place in difficult times and happy times, a person who tastes better as time goes by, a person who becomes more trustworthy as time goes on, such a person We hope to become this.