P A T I E N C E
Which is the better part of a baseball game, the first pitch or the bottom of the final inning? Do you prefer to see, a football game’s opening kickoff or the “Hail Mary” pass in the last seconds? Does the opening tip of a basketball game or the desperation shot at the buzzer hold more excitement for you? The writer of today’s scripture holds the same opinion with one added comment.
In the 7th chapter of Ecclesiastes at verse 8 it says, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”
Just like in sport, the author had found that the end of matters far surpass their beginnings. It’s like that in most of life’s pursuits. Retirement parties are more fun than the first day on the job. Golden wedding anniversaries are even better than weddings.
In sport, you probably enjoy post-season tournaments more than pre-season conditioning workouts. No doubt. Championship games are lots more fun than the first scrimmages of the season. That leads to the writer’s final comment, “…patience is better than pride.”
In pre-season, lots of us are full of pride and arrogance. By the end of the season, the ones with patience are obvious to everybody; they’re the ones making key plays. The end is better than the beginning and patience is better than arrogant pride.
As you compete today, realize that it’s more important who finishes a game than who starts it. Exercise patience and compete wisely, that’s much better than being prideful and foolish.
Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 4:13-20
Psalms 119:89-96
I Kings 19-20