How many of us have been tempted to give up the moment we hit the first bump in the road?
The tendency is that when we meet obstacles in the way, we think that things are not working out and that the best thing to do is to stop moving and raise the white flag. But, not everything that stands in the way is the size of Mount Everest. Well, even Mount Everest can be climbed, so even an obstacle the size of that can be overcome.
Don't give up. Three words. Easy to say. Difficult to practice. It's true that quitting is the easy way out, but it does not have any rewards. Quitting promises no breakthrough.
Whether it be in ministry or in our personal lives, there are things that will require perseverance.
Every woman's struggle, for example, is to get fit. Nine out of ten women stop working out the moment the discipline of exercise and eating right gets a little too much for them. They stop trying, so they don't reach their body goals. But the one person who did not stop, who kept on pushing and did not give up, it is she who will reap the rewards of persevering.
What tasks are you undertaking right now? If you're starting to feel overwhelmed, consider this promise of the Lord:
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. -2 Chronicles 15:7
If parents reward their little children for doing things, God as a Father rewards us also, and not with candy or a trip to the movies but with things that are far beyond all that we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). So, when we work at something, our expectations must rest on God and not on the people around us. It is God who promises a sure reward.
"When you are tempted to give up, your breakthrough is probably just around the corner." Joyce Meyer says. It looks like this illustration:
Don't give up
"By perseverance the snail reached the ark." Says Charles Spurgeon. Consider it like this: the snail is slow but because it got to the ark despite its limitations, because it kept on going. It reached Noah's Ark and was spared from annihilation.
Charles Swindoll says this, "If you're running a 26-mile marathon, remember that every mile is run one step at a time. If you are writing a book, do it one page at a time. If you're trying to master a new language, try it one word at a time. There are 365 days in the average year. Divide any project by 365 and you'll find that no job is all that intimidating."
Joyce Meyer says that, "Battles are fought in our minds every day. When we begin to feel the battle is just too difficult and want to give up, we must choose to resist negative thoughts and be determined to rise above our problems. We must decide that we're not going to quit. When we're bombarded with doubts and fears, we must take a stand and say, 'I'll never give up! God's on my side. He loves me, and He's helping me! I'm going to make it!"
Pressing on is a choice that we all have to make. It's a decision of the will that drives the entire body to move on and move forward despite the odds.
I remember Jacob in the book of Genesis. He worked for seven years to earn his uncle's approval to ask his daughter Rachel to become his wife, but the Bible says that the seven years seemed only like a few days to him because he was so in love with Rachel. But his uncle tricked him and he had to work another seven years to marry the woman of his dreams. Jacob did not give up. He kept on looking at the reward for his work. He could have given up and look for another woman, but he decided that he was not going to settle for less than his heart's desire. Imagine 14 years of work! Jacob got Rachel in the end because he did not let the odds and the difficulties beat him. He pressed on.
Don't give up!
How many of us have been tempted to give up the moment we hit the first bump in the road?
The tendency is that when we meet obstacles in the way, we think that things are not working out and that the best thing to do is to stop moving and raise the white flag. But, not everything that stands in the way is the size of Mount Everest. Well, even Mount Everest can be climbed, so even an obstacle the size of that can be overcome.
Don't give up. Three words. Easy to say. Difficult to practice. It's true that quitting is the easy way out, but it does not have any rewards. Quitting promises no breakthrough.
Whether it be in ministry or in our personal lives, there are things that will require perseverance.
Every woman's struggle, for example, is to get fit. Nine out of ten women stop working out the moment the discipline of exercise and eating right gets a little too much for them. They stop trying, so they don't reach their body goals. But the one person who did not stop, who kept on pushing and did not give up, it is she who will reap the rewards of persevering.
What tasks are you undertaking right now? If you're starting to feel overwhelmed, consider this promise of the Lord:
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. -2 Chronicles 15:7
If parents reward their little children for doing things, God as a Father rewards us also, and not with candy or a trip to the movies but with things that are far beyond all that we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). So, when we work at something, our expectations must rest on God and not on the people around us. It is God who promises a sure reward.
"When you are tempted to give up, your breakthrough is probably just around the corner." Joyce Meyer says. It looks like this illustration:
Don't give up
"By perseverance the snail reached the ark." Says Charles Spurgeon. Consider it like this: the snail is slow but because it got to the ark despite its limitations, because it kept on going. It reached Noah's Ark and was spared from annihilation.
Charles Swindoll says this, "If you're running a 26-mile marathon, remember that every mile is run one step at a time. If you are writing a book, do it one page at a time. If you're trying to master a new language, try it one word at a time. There are 365 days in the average year. Divide any project by 365 and you'll find that no job is all that intimidating."
Joyce Meyer says that, "Battles are fought in our minds every day. When we begin to feel the battle is just too difficult and want to give up, we must choose to resist negative thoughts and be determined to rise above our problems. We must decide that we're not going to quit. When we're bombarded with doubts and fears, we must take a stand and say, 'I'll never give up! God's on my side. He loves me, and He's helping me! I'm going to make it!"
Pressing on is a choice that we all have to make. It's a decision of the will that drives the entire body to move on and move forward despite the odds.
I remember Jacob in the book of Genesis. He worked for seven years to earn his uncle's approval to ask his daughter Rachel to become his wife, but the Bible says that the seven years seemed only like a few days to him because he was so in love with Rachel. But his uncle tricked him and he had to work another seven years to marry the woman of his dreams. Jacob did not give up. He kept on looking at the reward for his work. He could have given up and look for another woman, but he decided that he was not going to settle for less than his heart's desire. Imagine 14 years of work! Jacob got Rachel in the end because he did not let the odds and the difficulties beat him. He pressed on.
Don't give up!
