Don't Give Up!
Do a search on the internet with the topic Never Give Up and you'll find motivational type posts telling you things like 1)don't quit, no matter what 2)inspire yourself by reading books and/or watching movies of people who refused to quit 3)find a different way 4)recall how it feels to succeed 5)talk to someone who will encourage you in your goals and 6)keep working at your goal, however small your effort may be. Not bad ideas.
The problem is, what if it is the better part of wisdom to quit? Sometimes, it is. Take for instance, the person who is dating someone and finds out that his girlfriend is cheating on him. Time to throw in the towel? I think so. And be glad that you found out prior to marriage. Is it ever the right time to quit your church? Of course, though many quit too easily. Here's another clue - mediocre at something you've practiced for years while someone can accomplish more in just a few months? Well, unless it is something that you enjoy, regardless of your poor results, maybe it is time to admit that you just don't have it.
In Luke 18, Jesus told us not to give up, but in this instance, we can't go wrong. He was talking about praying. Praying is never an exercise in futility, even if we don't get our prayers answered in the way we had hoped. The reason is because the Holy Spirit takes those prayers and transforms them into what they should be, because often, since God's thoughts are so much higher than ours, and his ways so much better, we're praying for the wrong thing. Isn't it comforting to know that the Holy Spirit can make them acceptable to God? Have you ever prayed for something for so long that you're at an impasse? I know I have. Well, pray on. And while you're doing that, ask God for wisdom. He promises that, and it certainly doesn't upset him that we're seeking it. Pray for perseverance. Pray that you'll be asking for the right reasons, because we are warned that our prayers aren't answered when we pray amiss.
Pray before the problem. Pray during the problem. Pray after the problem. (There's sure to be another right around the corner.) Pray at all times. Pray in all places. Pray for all peoples. Consider prayer a privilege, because it is. Pray scriptural prayers. Pray simple prayers. Pray with others. Pray alone. Pray without ceasing. Just pray!
The problem is, what if it is the better part of wisdom to quit? Sometimes, it is. Take for instance, the person who is dating someone and finds out that his girlfriend is cheating on him. Time to throw in the towel? I think so. And be glad that you found out prior to marriage. Is it ever the right time to quit your church? Of course, though many quit too easily. Here's another clue - mediocre at something you've practiced for years while someone can accomplish more in just a few months? Well, unless it is something that you enjoy, regardless of your poor results, maybe it is time to admit that you just don't have it.
In Luke 18, Jesus told us not to give up, but in this instance, we can't go wrong. He was talking about praying. Praying is never an exercise in futility, even if we don't get our prayers answered in the way we had hoped. The reason is because the Holy Spirit takes those prayers and transforms them into what they should be, because often, since God's thoughts are so much higher than ours, and his ways so much better, we're praying for the wrong thing. Isn't it comforting to know that the Holy Spirit can make them acceptable to God? Have you ever prayed for something for so long that you're at an impasse? I know I have. Well, pray on. And while you're doing that, ask God for wisdom. He promises that, and it certainly doesn't upset him that we're seeking it. Pray for perseverance. Pray that you'll be asking for the right reasons, because we are warned that our prayers aren't answered when we pray amiss.
Pray before the problem. Pray during the problem. Pray after the problem. (There's sure to be another right around the corner.) Pray at all times. Pray in all places. Pray for all peoples. Consider prayer a privilege, because it is. Pray scriptural prayers. Pray simple prayers. Pray with others. Pray alone. Pray without ceasing. Just pray!
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