Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Woodrow Kroll
Never Give Up on the Giver
Jesus Christ gives us eternal life, but it comes at the most supreme of cost: His own life (John 3:16). So why would we want to give up on He Who gave up all for us? What if Jesus felt like giving up in the garden and decided to give up on the plan of Calvary? Who has paid the greatest price of all? It surely wasn’t us. And even if we should lose our life due to persecution, we could never pay back the Giver of Life, Jesus Christ, for all that He’s done for you and for me. Why would we want to give up on Him when He never gives up on us, even though, humanly speaking, He should!
We Forsake He Who Doesn’t
God promises to never leave us or forsake us (Deut 31:8; Heb 13:5), even though we forsake Him. He is so faithful that even at the times we do forsake Him by giving up, we seem to be drawn back to Him because He never gives up on us. The prodigal father never gave up on the prodigal son because he knew that the son would be back (Luke 15:11-32). Why else would he be standing, waiting, and watching for him in the far distance (Luke 15:20)? The son may have thought that the father had given up on him (Luke 15:18-19), but the fact is the father never gave up on his son, and in similar fashion, God never gives up on us. So if you’re a prodigal, come back. He isn’t going to give up on you!
He Never Gave Up on the Disciples
Jesus was frequently telling the disciples, “Oh, you of little faith” (Matt 8:26) and that they didn’t even seem to have the faith of a mustard seed (Luke 17:6). When he was trying to teach them about the dangers of sin by using the leavening of the Pharisees and Sadducees as an example, they only thought, “Hey, didn’t we bring any bread with us on the boat” (Matt 16:7-8)? If we were in Jesus sandals, I wonder how many of us would have become so frustrated with them that we said, “That’s it, I’m going to find another 12 disciples.” I can speak only for myself, but I believe I couldn’t help but give up on the disciples. Fortunately, God was longsuffering and patient with them, as He has to be with me, too. So please never give up on God because He is faithful and true to us and will never give up on us, even during the times that we do.
Conclusion
I saw a giant hanging mosaic once, and then I looked at the back of it. It was a mass of confusion. Different threads and colors going every which way. What a mess, but on the other side of the mosaic, there was a beautiful scene of snowcapped mountains and green pastures. The point is, we don’t know what God is doing behind the scenes, but you can surely trust the Director with this, as He is directing circumstances that are for our good (Rom 8:28)…no matter what it looks like today.
