Day 19: Perseverance – A.K.A. Stick-to-it-ive-ness – Pastor Kevin Lautar
Matthew 7:7-8 – 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door[a] will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
We covered this verse this week in our Wednesday Men’s bible study, “The Watchmen.” The verb tenses for “Ask,” “Seek,” and “Knock” are in the continuous action tense. So, one can read the red-letter commands of Jesus here to say, “Keep on asking,” “Keep on seeking,” and “Keep on knocking.” A productive and growing member of the Kingdom of God is persistent in their efforts to learn and apply the commands of Jesus to their lives. The Greek verb translated “to ask” is a strong verb that means to beg, call out for, or to crave or desire strongly. The Greek verb translated “to seek” is also a strong verb that means to seek in order to find or seeking that requires meditating, thinking, and reasoning to find. The Greek verb translated “to knock” is used in the context of our relationship with others. It means to announce your presence or to knock at a door.
In these verses, Jesus is teaching his disciples that relationships with God and others requires persistence and effort. We can’t treat the Lord or others like they are not important or that we don’t care enough to try to grow in a deeper relationship. Fasting and prayer are great ways to persevere in our relationship with God. In the practice of these spiritual disciplines, we can obey the commands of Jesus by continuing to ask, continuing to seek and continuing to knock. My prayer for you all is to be persistent in your efforts to grow in relationship with the Lord!
Only 2 days left until we celebrate the culmination of the 21 Day Fast together. I can’t wait to hear your stories of growth and revelation. God bless!
Pastor Kevin
