Persist Until You Achieve Your Goal

Daily Devotional – Saturday, August 5, 2023
Let your eyes look straight ahead and your eyelids look right before you.
Proverbs 4:25 (NKJV)

One of the best strategies for succeeding in life is to persist until you achieve your goal. Nothing is so unfortunate as to realize that you gave up just when you were about to reach your destination. Often, the penultimate steps to the prize are the most hardest to tackle hence the need to persevere.

Resolute to the End

Elisha is a perfect example of the importance and results of persistence. When Prophet Elijah first met Elisha, the latter was ploughing his land with oxen. After Elisha had received the call to succeed Elijah, he slaughtered his oxen, used the wood as fuel, and gave a farewell meal to his people. He left not room for a return to his previous vocation.

Elisha’s singlemindedness would come in handy when the time for the official handing over of the mantle arrived. On the day Prophet Elijah was to ascend to heaven by a whirlwind, the two men went to Gilgal. Elijah tested Elisha’s resolve by requesting, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” (2 Kings 2:2)

I Will Not Leave You!

Elisha would hear none of this. He had left home determined to succeed Elijah and there was no way he was going to let the older man out of his sight. He answered, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” (2 Kings 2:2). In Bethel, the sons of the prophets also tried to discourage Elisha from following Elijah but Elisha remained adamant.

The events recurred in Jericho and along the Jordan River. Finally, when Elijah was about to get into a chariot of fire, he asked Elisha to make a special request. Elisha pleaded, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” (2 Kings 2:9). The new leader of the prophets received his request and became one of the greatest seers in Israel.

Let Your Eyes Look Straight Ahead

King Solomon’s words may have inspired Elisha because the former had stated, “Let your eyes look straight ahead and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:25-27).

We, too, must persist in achieving our temporal and spiritual goals. Along the way, there will be many tests, temptations and distractions. Some will come from well-meaning people, like Elijah and the sons of the prophets. Only by fixing our eyes on the goal and not turning to the right or the left will we achieve our objectives.

Persist Until Your Achieve Your Goal

Every worthwhile goal demands sacrifice. The student may need early mornings and late nights for her to attain top grades. Workers must labour diligently and put in extra hours to earn a promotion. The Christian must walk the narrow path of self-denial to receive the crown. For you to realize God’s purpose for your life, persist until your achieve your goal.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, I will persist until I achieve my goals – Your purpose for me in this life and the one to come.