• The Wrestler Who Never Gave Up

  Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2011 (message contributor)

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  Scripture:  Joshua 14:6-15

  Tags:  Endurance

THE WRESTLER WHO NEVER GAVE UP

Caleb teaches us to never give up on God or His promises.

One of my favorite stories is about a scrawny kid from West Texas who attended a small high school. They didn't have a wrestling program, but he read a book on wrestling and asked one of the assistant football coaches if he would enter him in some of the wrestling matches in that region.

The coach agreed to help the kid. This little guy was neither strong nor skillful, but he had one enduring quality--he refused to give up. He won every single wrestling match because he tenaciously held on to his opponents and wore them down.

By the end of the season, he was undefeated and made it to the state finals for his weight classification. The kid's opponent was a two-time state champ and a bona fide college prospect. As the scrawny kid faced the state champion, the guy made a couple of quick moves, and soon had the West Texas kid on his back and about to get pinned.

The coach knew his athlete was about to lose, and he couldn't bear to watch it, so he turned his head away. Suddenly, the coach heard the roar of the crowd and when he turned around, his kid was on top of the state champ, pinning him. He had won the match!

The little guy bounced across the mat and hugged the coach and said, "Coach, I won! I won!"

The coach said, "Sure, son. But I missed it. I turned away just before you were about to lose. What happened?"

The kid said, "Coach, that guy was good. He had me twisted like a pretzel on that mat. But you know me, coach. I NEVER quit. I refused to give up! So I opened my eyes, and there in front of my face was a big toe. I don't even know if it's against the rules or not, but I bit into that big toe with all my strength...and coach, it's amazing what you can do when you bite your OWN toe!"

If you're ever tempted to give up on God and his promises, just remember that little guy. Take a grip on the promises of God and never release them--God honors persistence.

(From a sermon by Larry Semore, The Spirit of Expectancy - Part 3 - Caleb, 6/15/2011)