Do not give up

…and let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:1-3

Jesus told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). The Christian life and ministry can cause a believer to become weary and give up. The text today provides an encouragement of not giving up because Christ provided an example that every believer should look up to so they could press on. When prayers seemed to be not answered, God’s admonition in His word is that “they should always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1). When we feel that what we are doing in His name is not bringing any result and we are tempted to quit, the Bible encourages us to continue on for “at just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing” (Galatians 6:9). When fatigue is setting in and we long for rest, God promised that He “will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:25). Let us remain faithful and strong even in the ministry that God called us to do. The Word of God urges us for “in his mercy, God has given us this new way, we never give up” (2 Corinthians 4:1). No matter how difficult life is and we noticed that our physical body is getting weak, God’s word admonishes us to never give up. “Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). It is not easy yet we are commanded to “never get tired of doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). We find encouragement from those who endured in the past. This is what the writer of Hebrews was alluding to when he said, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (12:1). With the Scriptures’ exhortations for us to be strong and to not get weary, God provides the resources that will help us so we could keep on keeping on. “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). When you are about to give up, look unto Jesus “so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com