Vs 
All my life I have found that if I want something then I must be persistent in my attempts to gain that something. Persistence has it's value, and often times, as a result I am able to attain that which I have so doggedly pursued. But...I am worn out after that pursuit. During the untiring chase and capture of what I wanted, I find myself winded and wondering if all my hard work ever really mattered at all. Would it have been better to have had a measure of consistency in my approach, and as a result would I have inevitably gained that which I so longed for in the first place? Being persistent vs. being consistent is the question. Everyone has heard the old adage "Nothing is free," or "You get what you pay for;" but what if I were just consistent in doing what I know is right, without harming anyone during that process, would the result be the same? What if that I so strive for, and in being persistent might have hurt someone along the way, could be obtained just by doing every day what needs to be done the right way.
Instilled in me, throughout childhood, was the thought that if I ever wanted anything from this life I would have to work for it. Now understandably, there are things that can only be obtained through the efforts of hard work and perseverance, but I have learned that certain things require only consistency.
Growing up, if there was a new Transformer that I just had to have; then certain things were required of me in order to receive this toy. It was common knowledge that nothing was free. Later on in life, the same principle applied to going to a movie, getting a new bike, buying a vehicle, or any other event that required money or effort; it was evident that I would have to give something in order to receive something, and I had to be persistent in my efforts in order to attain that which I was trying for. Persistence has a way of clouding a person's judgement. I find that when I become resolute in achieving something, whether it be first place in stats at work or first place in a backyard football game, I am consumed by that want. Regardless of who I hurt, the method I use to attain that goal, or the toes I step on, the ONLY thing on my mind at that time is achievability.
Salvation, an eternity with God our Father, is not based on our persistence to gain entry. The bible tells us in Titus 3:5-7 he saved us, not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life. I have found nowhere in the bible that says that our persistence will get us to Heaven.
Be baptized and repent of your sins. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Live life justified through His Grace, and be CONSISTENT in your walk with God. Key ingredients to a life well lived and a light shone bright.
Just the other day, I was involved in building an above ground garden using concrete blocks when I realized that being persistent versus consistent proved to be more of a hindrance than of value. A friend and I had mixed grout to core-fill some of the holes in the block in order to make the structure more sound and reliable. Now, you have to understand, neither of us had worked with concrete, much less grout, in a while. We were both tired, the sun had been beating down on us all day, and our brains were not functioning properly when we read the directions on the bag of grout, so the mistakes we made in this process could be expected (looking for sympathy not embarrassment). All joking aside, when we mixed the grout we did not mix it right. Needless to say, the persistence applied to getting the desired results was very time consuming and tiring. In this case, we kept coming up short. That is, until we realized our mistake. All of our tiring efforts did nothing for the mix, because the desired consistency could only be obtained by mixing water and grout together the right way.
As with the story above, being persistent was not good enough. It only served to make the job harder, longer, and more laborious. If we had only read the directions, and understood them clearly, we could have easily gotten the results we wanted by getting the right consistency in the mix to begin with. I do not believe that God intends for His children to persistently attempt to gain His acknowledgement or our salvation through actions or deeds. By doing this, we only concentrate on what we can do, not by what Jesus has already done. My belief is that we are to follow the path that has been laid out for us by our Father, and be consistent in that walk. Our sins have already been paid for. The directions can be found in God's Word, and if we understand them clearly, the desired result can be obtained; Eternity in our Heavenly Home with God through Consistency in our walk on Earth as Christians.
Instilled in me, throughout childhood, was the thought that if I ever wanted anything from this life I would have to work for it. Now understandably, there are things that can only be obtained through the efforts of hard work and perseverance, but I have learned that certain things require only consistency.
Growing up, if there was a new Transformer that I just had to have; then certain things were required of me in order to receive this toy. It was common knowledge that nothing was free. Later on in life, the same principle applied to going to a movie, getting a new bike, buying a vehicle, or any other event that required money or effort; it was evident that I would have to give something in order to receive something, and I had to be persistent in my efforts in order to attain that which I was trying for. Persistence has a way of clouding a person's judgement. I find that when I become resolute in achieving something, whether it be first place in stats at work or first place in a backyard football game, I am consumed by that want. Regardless of who I hurt, the method I use to attain that goal, or the toes I step on, the ONLY thing on my mind at that time is achievability.
Salvation, an eternity with God our Father, is not based on our persistence to gain entry. The bible tells us in Titus 3:5-7 he saved us, not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life. I have found nowhere in the bible that says that our persistence will get us to Heaven.
Be baptized and repent of your sins. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Live life justified through His Grace, and be CONSISTENT in your walk with God. Key ingredients to a life well lived and a light shone bright.
Just the other day, I was involved in building an above ground garden using concrete blocks when I realized that being persistent versus consistent proved to be more of a hindrance than of value. A friend and I had mixed grout to core-fill some of the holes in the block in order to make the structure more sound and reliable. Now, you have to understand, neither of us had worked with concrete, much less grout, in a while. We were both tired, the sun had been beating down on us all day, and our brains were not functioning properly when we read the directions on the bag of grout, so the mistakes we made in this process could be expected (looking for sympathy not embarrassment). All joking aside, when we mixed the grout we did not mix it right. Needless to say, the persistence applied to getting the desired results was very time consuming and tiring. In this case, we kept coming up short. That is, until we realized our mistake. All of our tiring efforts did nothing for the mix, because the desired consistency could only be obtained by mixing water and grout together the right way.
As with the story above, being persistent was not good enough. It only served to make the job harder, longer, and more laborious. If we had only read the directions, and understood them clearly, we could have easily gotten the results we wanted by getting the right consistency in the mix to begin with. I do not believe that God intends for His children to persistently attempt to gain His acknowledgement or our salvation through actions or deeds. By doing this, we only concentrate on what we can do, not by what Jesus has already done. My belief is that we are to follow the path that has been laid out for us by our Father, and be consistent in that walk. Our sins have already been paid for. The directions can be found in God's Word, and if we understand them clearly, the desired result can be obtained; Eternity in our Heavenly Home with God through Consistency in our walk on Earth as Christians.
