Hello, I'm Pastor Jorge Diaz
Today's Reflection comes from Psalm 129 which presents us with the triple secret of personal success:

The triple secret of success

Psalm 129  

They have distressed me a lot since my youth.
- Please repeat with me:
"They have distressed me a lot since my youth,
but they have not managed to defeat me.
On my back they passed their heartbreaking plow,
and they made long, deep grooves in me.
The Lord is just,
And he untied the ropes with which they had bound me
and he stayed by my side!
Those who mock the children of the Lord
they will return crying with shame.
They will be like the grass that grows on the roof,
that before it grows it withers.
that before the owner of the house sees it,
whoever does the cleaning has already thrown it in the trash.
they will never be useful for anything or anyone.
To those who afflict the children of the Lord,
No one will ever tell you:
"The blessing of the Lord be upon you."
And if they greet, no one answers them.

A Paraphrase - Jorge E. Díaz

Many of us may remember our mom's voice when she told us, "You can't go outside to play until you're done with the chores." "Until you have eaten your vegetables, you can have dessert."

  I find in this Psalm 129 three words that are the basis of personal success: FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE

Discipline and perseverance are maintained by FAITH.

 "They have distressed me a lot since my youth, but they have not managed to defeat me."

This expression refers to all the sufferings that Israel had gone through. In their early formative years, they became slaves of the Egyptians; then they were mistreated by the Assyrians and the Babylonians.

The history of Christianity is full of stories that tell us that Christians have been mistreated, persecuted, thrown to the lions, and treated like animals.

The great pride of Christians today has been the faithfulness and loyalty of yesterday's believers. They maintained their faith in spite of the storms, sufferings, sorrows, persecution, and difficult lives to which they were subjected by the enemies of Jesus Christ.

We don't have to know much of the Bible or the New Testament to realize that Jesus began his ministry with 40 days of deep temptations in the wilderness to make him desist from his mission for the salvation of mankind. His life ended in the never-forgotten night of trial in Gethsemane and in Jerusalem, when he was sentenced to death on the cross by the religious leaders of his time. The secret is the same: faith in a God who lives and abides forever.

Discipline and perseverance are maintained by HOPE.

 One of the most fascinating and hope-filled expressions of Psalm 129 is this…. The Lord is just, and he lost the cords with which they had bound me, and he stood by me!"

Literally the animal, and in this case, the Lord's children feel as if the plow itself is making long, deep furrows in their backs. Suddenly, without knowing where, the Lord appears and cuts the ropes that had tied them to the yoke, provides them with water, food, takes them to the shade of the tree to rest and to ensure their well-being he stays by their side taking care of them.

Discipline and perseverance are maintained thanks to LOVE.

The expression that serves as the axis of this beautiful Psalm 129 is this: He stood by my side . The whole Bible affirms to us again and again that God is with us. He has brought his tent and has settled in our camp. He is next to us. This phrase speaks of the real, palpable presence of the Lord at our side.

Pray
Thank you, heavenly Father, for staying by my side despite my circumstances. I pray that you will keep and strengthen my faith, my hope, and my love for you.

Reflection and action
You may be a person with many talents, but you have become stagnant due to lack of discipline and perseverance. Remember some of your projects and talk to God to be sure that you should abandon them or give them a new chance.

May God bless you is my wish, and it is my prayer for you today