Don’t Quit

Lisa and I have embarked on a journey to lose weight.
And it is tough.
We are counting our calories and how much walking we are doing.
And, I dont know about Lisa, but in my mind is the thought “I can quit this nonsense any time.”

Quitting is easy because it involves no effort, no commitment.
The world convinces us that we must do anything and everything to make ourselves comfortable and content.
And to do so means we need to eliminate those things which cause us discomfort.
And I believe, if we are not careful we will let that mentality carry over into our spiritual thinking.
However, I have a few suggestions if you ever have the temptation to quit the Lord.

Trust in God
Faith is not simply believing in the existence of God, it involves putting our complete confidence and trust in Him.
He has promised, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”(Heb 13:5)
Even in our darkest hour, when it seems that all is lost, He is standing by our side, ready to help.
Place your confidence in God that He will lead you through the difficult times and build you up so that you can endure them.
If you never forsake Him, He promised that He will never leave you. Trust Him.

We have to finish what we start… Jesus did.
He came to this earth with a mission, to fulfill an incredible plan to save men from their sins.
Although He suffered greatly, He did not allow one thing to step in His way.
Not Satan, not the apostles, not the scribes and Pharisees.
The apostle Paul knew about hardships.
He recieved 39 lashes 5 times, beaten with rods 3 times, stoned once, and even shipwrecked 3 times. (2 Corinthians 11:24-27)
Do you think he ever considered calling it quits?
Yet through it all, he continued to trust in God and that allowed him to finish what he started.

Remember the big picture
Heaven is for those who have endured and have conquered, not for those who have given up.
Since Paul had fought the fight and kept the faith, he was confident in his eternal destiny.
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

Remember where you’re going
It’s easy to get distracted by the things this life has to offer.
They cause us worry and tempt us to throw in the towel and quit.
They make service to God seem less important and often impossible.
At the judgment, those who have endured and those who have given up will be separated.
And the ones who have kept the faith will receive their crown of life.
Won’t the temporary things of this life seem so insignificant then?

Fight the good fight, finish the course, keep the faith, and whatever you do, don’t quit.