Acts 15:36 “And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.”
Follow Through
I remember my first day with my first child. There were cards, congratulations, and celebrations; but when Sena and I took our baby home from the hospital, everyone else went to their homes, too. At three o’clock in the morning, no one was there to pat me on the back or change a diaper! I realized right then and there that this parenting thing would take “follow-through.”
Anything worth a stand is worth a follow-through. Living for the Lord will not always be easy, but that is why it needs dedication and stubbornness. The difference between what the Lord has done and what He would do, could do, and wants to do is largely a matter of follow-through. Paul and Barnabas went to visit the churches they helped to “see how they do.” They knew the important work they had started necessitated a deliberate follow-through.
Has the Lord been working in your life? Have you taken steps in following Him that have demanded a stand? Take heart and be encouraged. If something is important enough to warrant a stand, then it is important enough to follow through! I know a pastor who was saved as a boy at camp thirty-five years ago and is now himself bringing kids to camp. He is following through with teenagers today because his pastor and church followed through with him three decades ago! That is worth the effort!
I am thankful for birth, but birth is just the beginning. Just like a newborn baby requires attention and follow-through, the good work that God has started in your life or in the lives of others means the work has just begun.