Never Quit nor Give up

These words, “I quit” and “I give up” are very common expressions that many utter when there’s a feeling of hopelessness and despair. But is this the only recourse when we are confronted with such feelings? Dale Carnegie states, “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

The Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”(ESV)

When you feel like quitting and giving up, remember this simple story: “One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. "God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me. "Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied. "When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. "In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same in year four. "Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. "Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. "Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high" "How high should I rise?" I asked. "How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return. "As high as it can?" I questioned, "Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can." I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me. And He will never give up on you.”

Here’s the lesson to learn from this conversation: Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life. By having this point of view, it allows us to see it in a different light. It does make sense when you come to think about it, no two problems are the same. They have their own purpose to build us up or to pull us down. How we see them makes a huge difference. It’s either they are stepping stones or stumbling blocks. You need to make a choice of what to make of it!

The most important to know is that God is always with us no matter what and we need Him whether we admit it or not. When things do not make sense, just ask Him before you make any final decision whatsoever. It is always easy to give up. But know that you will always come back to it anyway. Giving up is just like pressing the “pause button” and it is still there. Unlike computers, there is no “escape button” when things go wrong. Therefore, keep looking at our circumstances from God’s perspective and it will aid us to appreciate that while there is dark cloud hanging above us, just continue to see through it because God is on the other side with His hands to help us.

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LITTLE BITES OF GOD’S INSTRUCTION

“Little Becky had just finished eating supper with her mom and dad. When her dad went upstairs to brush his teeth, Becky followed him and sat sheepishly on the counter. At first she just sat there. Finally, her conscience made her speak. "Daddy, I don't like broccoli."

"I know," said her father, "But broccoli is good for you and that's why I insisted that you eat it. You did eat it didn't you?"

Becky was quiet again for several seconds. At last her guilty conscience insisted that she confess. "I ate it daddy, but I didn't swallow it." Then she showed him that the broccoli was indeed still tucked away in the corner of her little mouth.”

Hearing this true little sketch from Becky's life, anyone can identify with her. Many times we read in the Bible a command from God or He impresses upon us some other way concerning a corrective action He wants us to take. We delight to hear God speak to us, but we are not always so delighted to take the steps of obedience He is laying out for us. We eat the broccoli, so to speak, but don't "swallow it" by actually doing what He told us to do. We don't put it into action. James tells us that we are to be doers of the Word and not merely hearers who delude themselves (James 1:22).

What about you? Do you take "bites" of God's instructions for your life, and then not "swallow" it? Do you take just enough to ease your conscience, but then not put it into practice so that it will bring the necessary changes and growth? The proof of whether or not we are really "swallowing" or appropriating God's word is the demonstration of the benefit that will be there if we are. Development and change will be evident in our daily lives.

Having the desire to receive bite-sized instructions from God’s word will provide the necessary nutrients to overcome any challenges that we will face. Looking from God’s perspective: challenges become opportunities and stumbling blocks become steppingstones. This is the kind of mindset that God wanted anyone to attain. Is it impossible? The Scripture clearly states, “Everything is possible to those who believe!” The only thing that will usually hinder is the “I can’t” attitude.

Looking carefully at what God has provided us in His word, He has given already what we needed to do. An allocated time to read His words daily will assist us in accomplishing His purpose and plan for our life. Furthermore, He holds the keys towards successful living. And it is made available to us within our reach but He must be obeyed wholeheartedly. Without a wholehearted attention, everything will be fruitless and it must be done His way to receive the complete package of blessings.

How many times that we miss it due to our disobedience and stubbornness? Is it too many to count? Then, begin to assess where you are now and decide to receive God’s bite-sized instructions for successful living. How? By being an empty vessel with hunger and thirst for God’s word, then, it becomes a direct invitation send out to God’s attention. He will meet us where we are. And when it takes place, stand attention for He will open the door to enter in.

Remember this simple fact: God will never give us anything that will not assist in our maturity and development. Although we may not understand completely the logic of what is happening to us, but in due time, it will all make sense. For now, it must be enough to know that whatever situation we are involved is good for us. In addition, never pre-judge anything immediately as bad or good. Because when we do, we show our true colors of mistrust and suspicions based on our own biases. Just go through it holding on to God’s promise and instructions and you will be just fine. Therefore, no matter what you are going through right now, bitter, sweet or bittersweet, always know that He will never leave us nor forsake us especially if our life is in His hands. He will not let you go no matter what. That’s a guarantee!

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Focus of Life

“A few years ago a woman was standing on top of a fifty-four story building in New York City, ready to jump to her death. The police suicide squad took her threats extremely seriously. She didn't look the type, in her expensive dress and with her distinguished appearance, but regardless of her appearance, every attempt to convince her to get down from the ledge ended in failure. One of the police officers called his pastor to come to the scene and pray for the woman. His pastor came, and after appraising the situation, asked the police captain if he might try to get close enough to talk with the woman. The captain shrugged and said, "Sure, what have we got to lose?" The pastor started walking toward the woman, but she screamed as before, "Don't come any closer or I'll jump!" He took a step backward and called out to her, I'm sorry that you believe no one loves you. "This got her attention and also the attention of the suicide squad - it was such an unusual thing to say, "Your children and grandchildren must not love you. Apparently they never give you any attention," he continued. With this, the woman took a step toward the pastor and said, "My grandchildren do love me. My whole family does. My grandchildren are wonderful. I have eight grandchildren." The pastor took a step toward the woman and said, "Well then, you must be very poor, or you wouldn't want to take your own life." The woman, who was obviously overweight, said, "Do I look like I go without meals? We live in a very nice apartment in Central Park. The pastor then took another step and was only three feet from her. "Then why do you want to kill yourself? I don't understand." The woman thought for a moment and said, "You know, I don't really remember."

This true story ended with the pastor escorting the woman off the ledge and she showed him pictures of her grandchildren. She eventually became a volunteer on the city's suicide hotline. The pastor helped her get her eyes off herself and onto the many ways that God had blessed her. She learned that thankful people are happy people. "Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever" (Psalms 136:26). In this story, when the eyes of the woman were taken off from her dilemma by the assistance of the pastor towards the blessings she had received, her attention and focus was diverted to what matters the most in her life. How quickly we forget the many blessings we have received just because of one bad situation. I believe that we need to realize that negative circumstances are part of life and must expect them. To be surprised at their arrival in our life is denial on one’s part of its reality. One must realize this simple fact that there will be trials and problems and they can come through marriage, children, employment, friends and many others.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:33, “I have given you my peace because in this you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” Jesus gave us the focus that we need to have, i.e., his provision of peace and joy. We have lots of blessings more than trials and problems we will have. That is why when you count your blessings; a great discovery of this fact will be uncovered. As Canada has four seasons: summer, spring winter and fall, these seasons also parallel what we experience in one’s life. But the most important thing to remember about it is this: they come and go as part of the natural cycle of our environment. We cannot stop them from coming but we can only prepare for its arrival. And it is the same principle that must operate in our life today. Being armed with this knowledge provides us the necessary equipment to overcome and not to be overcome by them.

Life has many things to offer and trials are one of them, thus, let us see them as stepping stones for our growth and development rather than stumbling block along our path. In this way, we will be victorious always.

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SIMPLICITY OF PRAYER

1Peter 3:12 declares, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

Here is a simple fact of how prayer works both ways. Having such a perspective provides a very clear process of its operation. Here’s a story of how it must be viewed: “A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me, he said. 'No, who are you?" said the father. The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up," "Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the minister shut the door. "I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head." I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, "Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest." "Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised; 'I will be with you always'. "Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now." "So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon. Did he die in peace?" he asked. Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?" The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."

The “empty chair” provided a real manifestation of faith in terms of establishing a solid communication to God through the application of prayer. No matter what the tool, it should always be simple and not complicated. St. Peter gave a vivid illustration of what transpires to achieve an answered prayer and the reason for an unanswered prayer. It does not get any clearer than that. Thus, when we follow this simple path, the result is predictable. The clear assurance of an answered prayer was established. Now, everything else is now up to us.

In prayer, it is both a spiritual and a physical event. It is a conversation between very close friends. We may ask, how does God respond to our prayer? He answers in many ways. To those that know Him closely, it will never be mysterious. This is what makes prayer different to those that involve in it. It should be done with an expectation from God and preparation from those that approach Him. God responds clearly with righteousness and He becomes clearly obligated to it. What a difference it would make when this condition is met from our end! Now the burden is on us not on God. Are you ready to go on the next level?

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Simplicity of Faith

“Who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?” (I Corinthians 2:16)

How does faith works? To find out how simple it is, let me share you a story I came across: “Dining out one day, the late William Jennings Bryan, an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, so enjoyed a slice of watermelon that he asked the waiter for some more of the seeds. He weighed them and found that about 5,000 seeds weighed a pound. Estimating the melon at about 40 pounds, he figured that one seed had grown to 200,000 times its own size. It had forced that enormous weight through a tiny stem and formed a watermelon. On the outside it had put a covering of green, within that a rind of white, and within that a core of red. Then it had scattered seeds throughout, each one capable of doing the same work over again. What architect drew the plan? Bryan questioned. Where did the tiny watermelon seed get its tremendous strength, its flavor, and its coloring? How did it grow into a huge watermelon? Bryan concluded that until we can explain a watermelon, we couldn’t doubt God’s existence or set limits to His power.”

The most learned man cannot explain a watermelon, but anyone can eat and enjoy one. In the same way, we do not have to understand everything about God. We only have to believe in Him and trust Him to enjoy the benefits and blessings of His love for us. With this in mind we can exclaim, “What a wonderful God we have!”

Jesus likened the simplicity of faith as that of a child. A child does not minced words when wanting something that they like. They blurt it out as bold as they can without any thought of negativity or apprehension. Filled with courage, they know full well that they can have it when they ask anything. Plainly speaking, they are free from inhibitions that many adults have. Thus, they clearly amplify their desires with simple language from their heart and mind without restraint.

Here is where the dividing line between child-like faith and the adult-kind of faith. Faith is a simple act complicated by the adult faith filled with skepticism and excuse. There are many hindrances that cause them to withdraw even before they utter any word. The heart believes but the rational mind process it too much bordering on unbelief. Having this situation triggers total abandon until the last moment of helplessness and despair. This is where child-like faith differs greatly. There is total abandonment of logic and just simply state their needs and wants at any given moment. No rules or boundaries, just speaking from their heart.

That is what is missing to many of us, we need to go back simply to the attitude of being a child, not childish, when we approach God as our Father. He is concern with everything that concerns us. Allowing Him to know our deepest need should be simple like that of a child. No complications whatsoever of being aware of what other people will say or how the “adult” mentality inside of us will react.

With this point of view, Jesus provided a clear illustration of how God desires to hear a simple prayer with a simple faith as stated in Matthew 7:7-8,11, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened…“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Having proved that it takes a simple act of faith to approach God, what then are you waiting for? Never doubt but only believe. He is waiting to hear from you and let Him know like a child what is in your heart today for He is a Father to those that considers themselves His children through faith in Jesus Christ. (John 1:12)

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