Never Give Up
Hebrew
12:1-6
Endurance
is something that we need in today¡¦s world. Sometimes we don¡¦t understand
the concept of this elusive trait in our busy lives. Endurance isn¡¦t
simply accepting a trial and suffering through it, we are to triumph in the
difficult times. Sometimes we take the view of the fatalist when we need
to develop patience to master things.
Endurance
is not something that stops because of discouragement from outside influences
or inner feelings; it a steadfastness that carries on until the end.
Endurance gets there. In this life we can¡¦t just accept everything as it
is, endurance is all about not giving up.
In our
active lives today, where might be the areas where we need to endure?
Endurance is necessary in our family life, raising our children, and getting an
education. Endurance is needed today in the local church. J. Alexander
Clarke said ¡§the normal condition is difficulty.¡¨ Today the mission field is
filled with interpersonal conflicts. During the difficult days of illness
and disability we find that the ¡¥spirit is willing, but the flesh is
weak. William MacDonald comments, ¡§The Christian life must not be an
initial spasm followed by chronic inertia.¡¨
There are
things in this life today that can cause us to turn back in the Christian
journey. We might find ourselves in a toxic relationship; there may be
some besetting sin that prevents us from moving forward. Joni Eareckson Tada says that there is no such thing as a
stationary Christian, there only two gears forward or reverse. Proverbs
19:3 is translated in Today¡¦s English Version as, ¡§ Some
people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord.¡¨
The Bible
has some wonderful examples of endurance. On of the most prominent
examples of the Old Testament would be Job. He was tested by the devil
but the Bible tells us he never sinned (Job 1:22) His wife told him to
¡§Curse God and die.¡¨ (Job 2:9)
Paul is a
good example in the New Testament. I Corinthians 11 Paul talks about the
abuse he had to endure for the sake of the gospel (good news).
The perfect
example of endurance is the Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 12 of Hebrews
tells us the Christ ¡§endured the cross¡¨ (Hebrews 12: 2). Isaiah 53 tells
us ¡§He was despised and rejected.¡¨ We can read the scenes of the
crucifixion in the gospels and we see the punishment that the Lord Jesus went
through for us and we realize that Christ endured the sin of the whole world.
A prominent
leader once said ¡§ Most people give up just when
they¡¦re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line.
They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from the winning touch
down.¡¨
Don¡¦t Quit
When things go wrong, as they
sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems
all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts
are high,
And you want to smile, but you have
to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a
bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you
quit.
Success is failure turned inside
out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Author unknown
The Lord
Jesus Christ endured the ¡§untold contradiction of sinners against himself¡¨
(Hebrews 12:3). He endured the cross despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2). He
finished the work He was sent to do (John 17:4). The Lord Jesus Christ
never thought of turning back, He was here to do the Father¡¦s will. When
Christ did the Father¡¦s will it was like nourishment when he completed the
work of the cross. As we walk this road that we call life we need to love God
in our hearts and have the spirit of Amy Carmichael when she wrote these words:
My hand is on the plow, my falt¡¦ring hand;
But all in front of me is untilled
land.
The wilderness and solitary place ,
The lonely dessert with it¡¦s interspace.
The handles of my plow with tears
are wet;
The shares with rust are spoiled,
and yet, and yet,
Out in the field, ne¡¦er let the
reins be slack;
My God! My God! keep
me from tuning back
Don¡¥t Give
Up!
By: Pastor
Brian McKibbin