Yesterday I was discouraged and those sentiments were reflected in Words for the Day. Afterwards I went deer hunting and received my daily devotional from Rick Warren on my I Phone. It was entitled, “Don’t Give Up!”, and reads in part:
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 NLT)
The difference between faithful people and unfaithful people is unfaithful people give up at the first sign of difficulty. Faithful people keep on keeping on. Faithful people are determined. Faithful people are diligent. Faithful people are persistent. Faithful people don’t know how to quit. You know how a little acorn becomes an oak tree? An oak tree is just an acorn that refused to give up.
I’m not that smart, but I do know one thing: It is always too soon to quit. You are never a failure until you quit, and it’s always too soon to quit. God uses tough times to test our persistence.
When we started Saddleback, I preached the first sermon to one person: my wife. She thought it was too long. Thirty-one years later, she’s still saying my sermons are too long!
I thought when we started a church we’d get a building quickly. We went 15 years without a building. In the first 13 years of this church, we used 79 different facilities. You know how many times I felt like giving up? Just every Monday morning! But I don’t know how to quit. And God said, “Rick, if I never give you a building, would you still serve me?” And I said, “Absolutely!”
Saddleback grew to more than 10,000 people before we built our first building. How would you like to set up and take down a church for 10,000 people every week? There’s not a lot of glory in that. It’s just hard work. God uses tough times to test our persistence.
If you’re going through tough times right now, then this verse is for you: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 NLT)
God is more interested in what you’re becoming than what’s happening to you. He often allows trials, troubles, tribulations, and problems in your life to teach you diligence, determination, and character. The problem you’re going through right now? It’s a test of your faithfulness. Will you continue to serve God even when life stinks?
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).”
Wow! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Rick! Later I got tons of e-mails of encouragement from readers. Thank you too! I suppose God didn’t want me to be discouraged due to a lack of support from my brothers and sisters.
I boxed a guy in gym in high school one time and although he was bigger than me I pummeled him all over the ring and easily won. Later in the week I was at our local hangout one night, (drunk as usual), and this same guy rode by on his motorcycle. I yelled out that he was the son of a she dog. He parked his bike calmly walked over to me and asked: “What did you call me?” I repeated it. He said, “That’s what I thought you said”. He then hit me right between the eyes and blood gushed out of my nose.
It was badly broken and the next day I looked like a giant rat with my swollen nose and two black eyes.
I think that is how we are with satan. We underestimate him and don’t think he can get the best of us only to get knocked one right between the eyes. Peter the disciple of Jesus saw Him perform miracle after miracle and even raise people from the dead and yet he denied him three times when Jesus was arrested.
The rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say is that he learned from his mistake. After Jesus was resurrected and he went on to boldly preach the Gospel and eventually endured martyrdom at the hands of Nero by crucifixion.
Ouch!
Trust me if Peter and other biblical heroes could get discouraged, so can we, but through faith they did not give up, nor should we! We are particularly vulnerable when tired and frustrated, or when we underestimate his power, but we simply need to turn to God who created that slime ball reptile and keeps him on a leash.
After receiving the devotional from Rick Warren yesterday I sent it to my wife who had listened to me record Words for the Day and knew the mood I was in and I mentioned to her that God never fails us, we often fail Him, but not vice versa.
It is never failure to make a mistake; that only comes when we give up.
Matt. 26:34
But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. “Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.
November 12, 2014 – Click here to listen