Solomon’s practical counsel
Spotlight on Ecclesiastes 7:1-14
“Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.”- Ecclesiastes 7:8
I once knew someone who was enthusiastic about starting new projects, but more times than not abandoned the project prior to completion for a variety of reasons. It is indeed better to finish than to start. I could give a hundred examples of things that had been started, yet never finished. The reasons are plentiful. Maybe it was boredom, maybe discouragement, but whatever the reason, it paints a bad picture of the individual who is not a finisher.
How many times have we made New Year’s resolutions, only to give up days after you had first begun? It’s a very bad precedent to set which becomes a bad habit. We must learn to start something after praying for direction to minimize choosing something that may be too difficult. If God’s in it you will succeed, perhaps not right away, but patience is the key to finishing strong.
Having pride in one’s abilities is fine; however, we should never allow our pride to become an ugly thing … a millstone around our neck, weighing us down. In our patience we must learn humility and gratitude for those things we can learn from each and everything that we begin. The quicker and more complete we learn our godly lessons, the sooner we’ll grow as we mature in the things of the spirit. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: Expositor’s Bible Commentary; copyright 2004.
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