Don't give up

Don’t Give Up

Galatians 6: 9

“And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

It is so easy to give up.

Maybe that’s why there are so many unfinished projects, broken marriages, and incomplete assignments. Maybe that’s why there are so many addicts, alcoholics, and chain smokers. We have all given up at some point in life. We all have given up on trying to give up at some point in life.

Why is it so easy to quit?

Sometimes we don’t see the result of our hard work. Sometimes we get rejected one too many times. Sometimes we see others taking short cuts and prosper. Other times we simply think it is not worth it.

This past semester, I made it my “mission” to invite my friends to church with me. Seeing how they don’t really have a place to go to while at college, I would simply invite them to come check it out. Sunday after Sunday, I would call/text but most of the time, nobody came. Some would ignore my invitations and some would reject it. Every once in a while, somebody would come, but it will feel as if they had gotten nothing out of it.

I thought about just giving up many times. How easy would it be to just quit inviting anybody? How easy would it be to just give up and simply hope that they will somehow change?

How easy would it be to just quit and give in to temptation?

How easy would it be to skip your quiet time?

Extremely easy… right?

YES.

Rejection is discouraging. Not being able to see any positive results is discouraging. Battling my besetting sin is exhausting. Doing my quiet time is time consuming.

BUT,

At the same time, It is not easy for me to give up; there is something in me that would love nothing more than to see my friends deepen their relationship with Christ, than to see me becoming more like Him, than to want to spend every living moment with my God.

The things that I want to do, I don’t do. The thing that I don’t want to do, I do. I know it is wrong but I do it. I know it is right but I don’t do it. This is the paradox of a Christian life, the cognitive dissonance, and the conflicting desires: I want to but I don’t.

As believers, we struggle with this ongoing battle against our flesh, our “old nature.” How can we overcome our fleshly desires?

We look to Christ. We draw our strength from the one who already won the war.

I remember running a 5k during the summer. Having played 3 years of soccer and tennis in high school, this should be a breeze. I had everything planned out; starting slow, then after about half a mile, speed up a little and maintain that pace. I wasn’t going to worry about the people passing me at the beginning because I know that I will get my motivation from every time I pass somebody later on in the race. But the problem is, I start out too fast. So instead of getting my motivation from every time I pass somebody, my motivation was sucked right out of me every time somebody passed me! At about 2 miles, I was ready to give up. I was tired, unmotivated, and discouraged, until I started to think about the guy that has already finished the race. The more I thought about how he had already crossed the finish line, probably resting on the sidewalk, and downing a whole gallon of water, the more I started to feel motivated again. His victory gave me strength.

Christ’s victory gives us strength.

There is a bigger picture, there is a grander plan. Trust in God and take comfort in his promises! So, for all of us who have feel like giving up, let’s not! Let us fix our eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12: 2)!

Let us draw our strength from the omnipotent God and not grow weary in doing GOOD, for in due time, when God deems the time is right, we will reap a harvest, if we

Don’t Give Up!

Why?

Because it is worth it.