[Faith-talk] perseverance

[WESLEY BURDEN]

Perseverance



  "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never

get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you

never know which will grow--perhaps it all will."



        At the turn of the last century, Julia Woodward

went to Ecuador as a missionary to minister to a tribe

of some 15,000 Indians. In her half-century of work,

she saw only a handful of these people accept the

gospel and come to Christ. However, she taught the

people to read and write and began to translate some

of the Bible into their language. After 50 years of

faithful service, she retired and was replaced by Mr.

and Mrs. Henry Clawson who, after a relatively short

time, saw almost this entire tribe embrace the

Christian faith and become Christians. This was made

possible because of the seed sown by Julia Woodward.



         As another has said, "Don't ever underestimate the

power of a seed. In 1959, there were one-million Roman

Catholics and 600,000 Protestants in China. That may

sound like a lot, but when you compare it to a

population that is rapidly approaching one billion,

you understand what a tiny seed that represented. Then

in 1959 China closed its doors to the outside world.

Many people began to wrap a burial shroud around the

Christian church in China. They said that it would

never survive. Then in 1979 China again opened its

doors to the West and to the rest of the world. And a

strange thing had happened. That tiny seed 20 years

earlier had taken root. The number of Roman Catholics

during those dark years rose from one-million to

three-million and the number of Protestants rose from

600,000 to three-million. The church in a time of

persecution and hardship had grown 53% in a

twenty-year period!"



         You and I may never be a Paul or a Julia Woodward,

but we can keep sowing seeds of the gospel and of God's

love. Here an encouraging word ... there an encouraging

word to a friend in need ... little acts of kindness

all along the way ... praying with one who is

discouraged and/or hurting ... being as Christ to

every life we touch.... Such seeds are never

wasted--only God knows the eternal influence and

impact of such. As Solomon wrote, "Keep on sowing your

seed, for you never know which will grow--perhaps it

all will."



         Suggested prayer. "Dear God, please help me to

keep on sowing the seed of your Word and the gospel in

the way that I live and act, and through well spoken

and timely words. Please use me to help others to find

you and/or come closer to you. Use my life as a living

investment in eternity. Thank you for hearing and

answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name,

amen."


Stu
<mailto:K5stu at sbcglobal.net>K5stu at sbcglobal.net
Reading your Bible today will help prepare you for A Brighter Tomorrow!
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