Persistence, Part One
The One who began will continue right up to the end. Being the original finisher, He will persist. I’m comforted to know He won’t be talked out of a plan that has to do with developing me. I need help! Don’t you?
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Insight for Today
Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Generous with Grace
Read Proverbs 29:7
Before closing off our study of intolerance, two more sayings are worth our attention:
The generous man will be prosperous,And he who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:25)
The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor,The wicked does not understand such concern. (Proverbs 29:7)
Teeth Like Swords
Read Proverbs 30:11–14
This is an excellent time to bring out into the open even the slightest intolerance lurking in your life and place it before the Lord. The book of Proverbs offers a compelling reason to do so by painting a picture of someone we do not want to become.
The Wounds of Intolerance
Read Proverbs 29:7
Is intolerance one of your daily grinds? Be honest. Do you have difficulty leaving room for opinions you don’t agree with or the conduct of those who fail to measure up? I can think of a number of ways intolerance rears its head:
The Dark Side of Tolerance
Read Proverbs 24:11–12
The founders of the United States formed this nation on the premise that each individual will one day stand before God and give an answer for his or her beliefs and conduct. The US was in fact the first modern state to establish an official policy of religious tolerance, which it formalized in the First Amendment to the Constitution:
Tolerance at Its Best
Read Proverbs 19:11
Submitting As We Serve
Read Proverbs 16:2–3
He does according to His will in the host of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of earth;And no one can ward off His handOr say to Him, “What have You done?” (Daniel 4:35)
God-Given Authority
Read Proverbs 19:21
King Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed the kind of power and privilege no single human had ever experienced. He built an empire that eventually swallowed two other great civilizations, Assyria and Egypt. At the time, no one man controlled more of the world than he. According to the man’s written testimony, Nebuchadnezzar became intoxicated by his own wealth and power. His position as the most powerful man on earth gave him a skewed perspective on life and the world.
Some Thoughts on Sovereignty
Read Proverbs 21:1
Some people find the concept of God’s ultimate and complete sovereignty a little unsettling. Let’s face it, we like our autonomy; we find comfort in calling our own shots. Even so, the wise men of Israel, writing under the direction of the Holy Spirit, affirmed God’s ultimate authority to administer the world as He sees fit and regardless of human will:
The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD;He turns it wherever He wishes. (21:1)
Divine Perspective
Read Proverbs 10:3, 29
Since our generation so admires human ingenuity and worldly wisdom, we tend to give people praise that only God deserves.
