Really? The New England Patriots Were in Another Super Bowl?

I’m not a Pats fan. Far from it, I’m a Giants fan. I’m one of the innumerable people out there who breathed a deep breath this year and muttered, “Really? They’re in ANOTHER Super Bowl? Must be tough!”. Of course, their fans have come to expect this year in and year out.

15 AFC East titles in 17 years

10 Super Bowl appearances

5 Super Bowl wins (3 in a 4-year span)

126 wins in a 10-year period

Not a losing season since 2000

They have coaches who have been with them a long time. Head coach Bill Belichick has been with them 18 seasons!

Yeah, must be rough being a fan of this team! NOT!

Love them or hate them, one thing you have to say about the Patriots is they are CONSISTENT! Year after year you can almost be assured of their overall success.

Consistency, in and of itself does not produce success, but consistency in doing the things that breed success; sacrifice, following the plan that has been successful in the past, dedication, focus and so on will almost assure success in the end.

It’s the same with being a Christian.

If we’re all over the place, we won’t be successful in our walk. We read our Bible five days in a row then we go two weeks without reading it. We pray consistently for a time, then not for a long while. We slack off going to church.

All that inconsistency impacts our lives as Christians. It causes us to drift here and there instead of walking the straight, narrow path with our Lord.

Take heart, we “mere mortals” are not unique in our struggles for consistency. Arguably, the greatest Christian ever to walk the planet Earth, Paul, struggled with it also.

Paul wrote to the Roman believers:

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15

Paul did not give up, though. He didn’t let those times of inconsistency stop him from “working out his own salvation”. He told the Philippian church:

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

And this is what we need to do. Press on! Don’t let times of inconsistency derail your walk. It’s not over until we’re called home to Christ! We must strive for consistency, counting on the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is through Him that we can achieve consistency in our walk, be effective for God and lead people to our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ!