Matthew 11:12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. (NLT)
Aggressiveness. It’s an attitude that can be bad or good. Definitely we don’t want to be hostile or physically violent. Bad behavior is not an option for us who follow Christ. But there is an aggressiveness that is good. And it produces results. And that’s what we want. We desire to be as aggressive as we need to be so that we can establish the kingship (rulership) of Jesus over all the earth. Persistence is another key characteristic of highly successful people. When others give up and turn back, persistent people carry on. They press forward even when they are exhausted, wounded, abandoned by others, or feel hopeless. They see the small light at the proverbial end of the tunnel and, fueled by that hope, they keep moving forward no matter what. Why do we talk about holy aggressiveness and persistence in church? Because we want to succeed. We want to succeed in life (our families, our work, our business, our studies). We also want to succeed in our relationship with God which is being attacked in very subtle but powerful ways every single day. Media we are exposed to everyday (TV, radio, billboards, etc.) convince us that living for ourselves is the way to live. God is not the most important person or factor in our lives. We are also bombarded with messages on social media that feed the selfish part in each of us, and if we don’t fight it, we can end up just living for the here and now instead of for eternity. And, of course, we want to fight for the mission that God has given to us: to teach and disciple all nations on earth that the kingdom (rule) of God is here and that they must obey the king, the Lord Jesus Christ. Aggressiveness and persistence are key components that bring success to the leading people in various fields and in various places in the world. When we practice holy aggressiveness and persistence, we too will succeed for the glory of God (which is tied up to our joy and the blessings we can share to others as a result). Be aggressive and persistent, and you will conquer and win. May the Lord richly bless you, your family, and your ministry this week! Lathur Badoy