Weekday Devotionals
Devotional by Tony Tolvo
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecc 7:8 KJV
In my present role within my place of employment, I am involved in creating new and better (better means cheaper) ways of providing value to our customers. I love the energy and creativity that comes at the start of whatever project I happen to be working on. I am usually part of a team. We create a plan with drawings and projections of what we can expect at the various milestones along the way. We brainstorm about how awesome the finished product will be. Then, as we navigate our way through the steps, we always run into obstacles… Lots of them. The excitement that we felt at the beginning becomes disappointment and sometimes, that disappointment leads to failure. Sometimes it leads to a new and better idea that succeeds beyond what we originally planned. You just never know until you keep going and make it to that point in which you can see the end result.
This is a lesson that Lis illustrated last Sunday while sharing the story of Jesus and Simon and the miracle of the large catch. I’m sure that when Simon began to fish the previous evening, he was enthusiastically looking forward to catching a bunch of fish. Bringing them home to impress his wife. Hearing how proud she is of him and what a great fisherman he is. As the night wore on with nothing to show for his considerable efforts, I’m sure that discouragement must have been very heavy for him. No one there would blame him for telling Jesus…”Nope, I’m done”.
We see from the story how infinitely better the end was compared to the beginning. Think of where Simon would have been if he had only dwelled on the failures of the previous evening and never took that next step. If he had stayed in his discouragement. Would we even know his name?
How often have we been tempted to give up only to find out that God has so much more for us that we could ask or even think? (Eph. 3:20)
As I was listening to Lis, I was reminded of the lyrics from an old Rich Mullins song that has really ministered to me through the years. The song tells the story of someone who is struggling to understand God and His plans for us.
“I can’t see how you’re leading me, unless you’ve led me here. To where I’m lost enough to let myself be led… so you’ve been here all along I guess”
Rich Mullins – “Hard to Get”
As Lis shared Sunday:
He Sees
He Uses
He Calls
We Follow
Don’t be afraid… The end is so much better than the beginning!
tony tolvo
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecc 7:8 KJV
In my present role within my place of employment, I am involved in creating new and better (better means cheaper) ways of providing value to our customers. I love the energy and creativity that comes at the start of whatever project I happen to be working on. I am usually part of a team. We create a plan with drawings and projections of what we can expect at the various milestones along the way. We brainstorm about how awesome the finished product will be. Then, as we navigate our way through the steps, we always run into obstacles… Lots of them. The excitement that we felt at the beginning becomes disappointment and sometimes, that disappointment leads to failure. Sometimes it leads to a new and better idea that succeeds beyond what we originally planned. You just never know until you keep going and make it to that point in which you can see the end result.
This is a lesson that Lis illustrated last Sunday while sharing the story of Jesus and Simon and the miracle of the large catch. I’m sure that when Simon began to fish the previous evening, he was enthusiastically looking forward to catching a bunch of fish. Bringing them home to impress his wife. Hearing how proud she is of him and what a great fisherman he is. As the night wore on with nothing to show for his considerable efforts, I’m sure that discouragement must have been very heavy for him. No one there would blame him for telling Jesus…”Nope, I’m done”.
We see from the story how infinitely better the end was compared to the beginning. Think of where Simon would have been if he had only dwelled on the failures of the previous evening and never took that next step. If he had stayed in his discouragement. Would we even know his name?
How often have we been tempted to give up only to find out that God has so much more for us that we could ask or even think? (Eph. 3:20)
As I was listening to Lis, I was reminded of the lyrics from an old Rich Mullins song that has really ministered to me through the years. The song tells the story of someone who is struggling to understand God and His plans for us.
“I can’t see how you’re leading me, unless you’ve led me here. To where I’m lost enough to let myself be led… so you’ve been here all along I guess”
Rich Mullins – “Hard to Get”
As Lis shared Sunday:
He Sees
He Uses
He Calls
We Follow
Don’t be afraid… The end is so much better than the beginning!
tony tolvo
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