Read 1 Corinthians 16:13–14

I was living in Dallas when the Cowboys were formed into a National Football League team and Tom Landry was first introduced as the head mentor of that original, ragtag bag of unknown athletes. The first few years were bleak, to say the least. The crowds were sparse and instead of cheers there were gripes and groans. One losing season led to another, and as you can imagine, the public soon made Landry the target of their savage verbal assaults.

Maligned and plagued with misunderstanding, Tom Landry hung in there with bulldog determination. Quit wasn’t in the man’s vocabulary. The idea of ditching when the going got rough was never a consideration. His disciplined determination paid off—again and again—as his Cowboys rode into pro-football legend.

Later they called Landry a legend...but he hadn’t changed within. With the same inner tenacity of undaunted, untiring determination, Tom Landry quietly gave God the glory and claimed that the life of the Apostle Paul is an example we all should follow. He kept this verse close to help him stay the course.

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. (1 Corinthians 16:13–14)

Take away courage, discipline, and determination and you have cut the heart out of real living. When Paul wrote those words, he had already endured unimaginable hardship for Christ. Yet he stayed the course. That’s Spirit-filled determination. He had it. Tom Landry possessed it. And you and I can experience it too.

If you’re being tempted to cut and run or throw in the towel, I urge you instead to “Stand firm.... Be courageous. Be strong,” like Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be. The benefits of determination far outweigh the alternative.

Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord...Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

The full devotional can be purchased at https://www.tyndale.com/p/good-morning-lord-can-we-talk/9781414380681.