Learning to Whistle

Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Do not smother the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Keep away from every kind of evil. May the God of peace himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become his child, will do all this for you, just as he promised.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (TLB)

R. Martin Armstrong lives in North Carolina. He remembers the struggle he endured learning to whistle. He spent days upon days trying with no success. But he was determined to succeed. He did not ask for help; he just blew and blew until it happened. It felt great to be able to whistle, and he practiced and practiced after he got the hang of it. It was a glorious time.

What he learned was perseverance - a spiritual directive found throughout scritpture. God instructed Israel to continue trusting and believing. The New Testament writers encouraged believers to keep believing and living the word they had heard because Christ was going to return.

Being willing to persevere changed R. Martin from a kid who wanted to whistle to a kid who could not wait to hear what new sound his mouth and lungs could create. Additionally, perserverance for him became not just striving to know God's word but allowing the word to change him into something better. (See Jas. 1:22.)

R. Martin keeps wondering what new song he might hear from God' Spirit if he continues to persevere in faithfully following Christ.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to persevere in seeking and knowing the gifts of your grace. Thank you for Christ and those who demonstrate their faith by their perseverance. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.