Keep On Keeping On!

There is a lot of spiritual truth in Aesop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” In the long run, it’s not our ability, energy, or excitement that accomplishes most in the Kingdom of heaven — it’s the patient, steadfast, and day-in-day-out faithfulness — the determination to keep on keeping on! (cf. Matthew 10:22; Mark 13:13; Revelation 2:10).

Today, many in the church are looking for high-voltage excitement as they attempt to leap from one spiritual high to another. But the real test of discipleship is not whether we can serve God when the crowds are cheering and the flags are waving, but whether we can continue to serve Him on the long dusty march in the heat of the day (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).

As Christians, let’s consider the following three ways to keep on keeping on in service to our Lord:

1) Hold On (Hebrews 3:6,14) — With bulldog-like determination, we must hold on to certain things — such as the truth of the Bible, our profession of faith, our commitment to the Lord, and the hope we have in Christ.

2) Press On (Philippians 3:13-14) — We must keep striving to move forward in our service to Jesus. Just as in physical growth, our spiritual growth is not measured by leaps and bounds — but by inches.

3) Keep On (Galatians 6:9; Colossians 1:21-23) — Spiritual success in the service of God is a matter of simply refusing to quit. Once asked for the secret of his success, world champion boxer James L. Sullivan said: “Fight one more round!” That’s it folks! Keep going! Never quit!

Beloved, let’s remember that victory awaits those who keep on keeping on! (1 Corinthians 15:58; Philippians 3:13-14; 2 Timothy 4:7-8).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets