BBD 03.09.05 Determined Steadfastness
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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03.09.05
Determined Steadfastness
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. -
Psalm 51:10.
Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous will be in everlasting
remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast,
trusting in the LORD. His heart is established.. - Psalm 112:6-8a.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. -
1 Corinthians 15:58.
A woman in Florida encountered some problems on her way to work. She had a
little accident. While she was driving down the highway connecting the Gulf
Coast and Fort Lauderdale known as "Alligator Alley" her car somehow went
airborne. Maybe she dodged something and swerved, or another car hit hers -
it is not clear what happened. The result, however, was that her car did
clip another car and ran off the highway into the canal which is next to the
roadway. One witness to the incident said, "It was like the Dukes of
Hazard."
The woman was shaken up but managed to escape from her sinking car with her
purse, which contained her immigration papers and made it to the bank of the
canal. She not only escaped from her car but also from two alligators that a
witness to the accident saw in the canal. After paramedics checked her for
injuries, someone took her home. Instead of taking the day off, she got a
ride to the restaurant where she works as a waitress. In spite of the ride
in an airborne car, swim in the canal, and narrow escape from alligators -
she still made it to work on time!
The dictionary defines the word "determined" as "decided or resolved." The
dictionary defines the word "steadfast" as "firmly loyal or constant;
unswerving." So, "determined steadfastness" would be someone who is
constantly resolved about something. We can easily see that the woman who
had the car accident in Florida had determined steadfastness about going to
work. She was "constantly resolved" to go to work and probably to arrive on
time as well.
Is there anything that you have determined steadfastness about? Is there
anything so important in your life that a car accident, a swim in a canal
and alligators would not keep you away from or from doing? Is there anything
that would make you turn away from God? Is there anything that would make
you stop serving God? Is there anything that would make you stop doing what
you know God wants you to do? Do we have the determined steadfastness of
that Florida woman when it comes to our relationship with our Lord?
I hope that you can say with the apostle Paul that you are "steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." But if you are unable
to - the Bible gives us direction as to how we can develop that determined
steadfastness. We need to pray as the Psalmist prayed in Psalm 51, "Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
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