Keep on, Keeping On!
Key Verse to Read and Treasure
A time to keep (Ecclesiastes 3:6, ESV)
For Insight
Yay! Good job! You’re doing great at doing what you do! This was Peter’s encouragement to those who were in exile when he wrote I Peter. Peter wanted to encourage the believers to keep loving, keep their faith through suffering and trials, keep remembering despite their trials they were a holy nation, a chosen race, a royal priesthood.
It’s super encouraging to hear we’re doing a great job, doing well at something. If you want to motivate someone to keep doing something well or to become great at something you let them know how well, they are already doing. The last thing you want to tell them is they suck at it. That they’ll never be good at it. That you are sorely disappointed in them. They may surprise you and give up altogether feeling that even their best wasn’t good enough, that their efforts are wasted. It’s only the devil who loves to stump on us while we’re down.
Even God knows this is the best way to get us to keep doing good things. He writes to inspire us to keep on keeping on. Think of the places in God’s Word where he encourages us through the writer to keep on having faith, keep on pressing, keep on persevering, keep on forgiving, and loving others. In fact, God is so committed to encouraging us he deploys the Holy Spirit just so we can keep on keeping on and have supernatural, divine strength to do so!
What are you already doing well for the Lord? Are you a good teacher? You should keep on teaching! Are you a good encourager? You should keep on encouraging! Are you a good preacher? You should keep on preaching and with power! Are you a good giver, steward, or prayer warrior? Keep on doing just that and even growing more and more! Are you good at lifting up Jesus to others? Then keep on going and growing in grace through the grace of Jesus Christ!
God wants us to keep on keeping our strength up, keep on trusting him, keep on turning to and relying upon him. And he sees how we are doing just that. Never so overcome that we give up, never so discouraged that we give in, never so burdened that we fall apart or over. As we keep on keeping on God will keep on inspiring, enabling, and encouraging us.
Check Yourself
Have you been so discouraged you have lost all desire to keep on, keeping on? Turn back to God and let him put you back on track!
Praying Ecclesiastes 3:6
Thank you, Jesus, for cheering us on and for those who have already made it home, that are cheering us on also. Because you inspire and encourage us, we can keep on, keeping on! Amen
Digging Deeper
Devotionally Yours 