General Stuff

Don’t give up

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I woke up this morning with the words, “Don’t give up,” rolling through my mind. Being a North Carolina State fan, I immediately thought of Jimmy V and his famous speech at the ESPYS when he said, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”

Then, I opened my Bible app and saw that the verse of the day was Galatians 6:9. The last 3 words of that verse? “Don’t give up.”

Since I was already in the Bible app, I went ahead and read my devotion for today which is based in the book of Nehemiah. Today, though, it referenced another verse. Want to guess what it was?

Yep. Galatians 6:9.

Seems like God is saying something to me, and so I want to pass it along in case He may want to say the same to you: don’t give up.

Some might read that as having a stiff upper lip and gutting through whatever you’re facing even if it kills you, but I think the wisdom from God is telling us something that’s a bit more life-giving than that.

The full text will help us see what I’m talking about.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬)

The meaning of the word for give up is related to physically giving up, but the meaning of the word for getting tired is about losing heart. It’s about soul weariness and I think that’s the key. We give up because we forget that what we’re living for is better than what we’re living through.

[Tweet “We give up because we forget that what we’re living for is better than what we’re living through.”]

I think that when our bodies are worn out, it’s a good time to look in. Instead of trying to gut our way through it, we need to remember what’s in our gut. More than likely, when we remember what matters most — and why we’re doing what we’re doing — we’ll find what we need to keep moving forward.

[Tweet “When our bodies are worn out, it’s a good time to look in.”]

So don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. There’s a harvest ahead, and we’re going to reap it at just the right time.

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January 19, 2021by Paul Jenkins
Written by Paul Jenkins
Paul Jenkins is lead pastor of The Gathering, a community church located in beautiful downtown Albemarle, North Carolina. He's the author of God is My Air Traffic Controller and My Name's Not Lou. Paul is passionate about his wife, his 3 children, running, reading, coaching, leading people who are following Jesus, Swedish Fish and the Carolina Panthers.