Following Through

We spoke yesterday about being diligent and working hard in order to achieve desired results. One important aspect in all of this is the decision and ability to follow through with a project or commitment.

Whether it is clearing the wreckage of our past and rebuilding our character and relationships or completing some training, or just seeing a job through to the end, following through is necessary if we are to experience success.

We read about this in various places in the Bible and stories of those who endured through tough times and followed through are now given to us for our encouragement. 

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. 

Romans 15:4

We can know all sorts of things about God as we come to believe that He is a power greater than ourselves who can restore us to sanity.  We can even make a decision to turn our will and our life over to His care. 

The real test of our desire for a stable and growing life is the follow-through of putting God’s word into practice one day at a time.  Some days will be relatively easy and other days will require every bit of strength and commitment we can muster.

For example, who of us enjoys doing a searching, fearless, and moral inventory and then admitting the exact nature of our wrongs?  It’s painful to come before God and ask for the removal of our character defects. 

Making a list of those we’ve harmed and setting out to make amends to them is threatening for most of us.  However, God’s promise and the experience strength and hope of those who have gone before us tells us that, as we follow the path and do these things one step at a time, God will get us to the goal.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Galatians 6:9

Heavenly Father, we often want the “quick fix” and find it hard to follow through on the challenging parts of becoming the persons You created us to be.  Help us to fix our eyes on the goal and just steadily move forward one more step today.  Please strengthen us to do the work required of us today in whatever areas we feel challenged. 

Help us to not get tired of doing good but to trust You for the visible results in the right time.  Amen