What Will Make You Quit?

One of my favorite quotes from Rev. Jerry Falwell is this: "You don't determine a man's greatness by his talents or wealth like the world does, but by what it takes to discourage him."

I pose this question: What does it take to make you throw in the towel and quit? Are you easily swayed by intimidation? Do you quickly retreat at the first sign of opposition? Are you soundly defeated when it appears you're outnumbered by the opposition? Do you quickly become silent and refuse to speak up when it becomes evident you are the minority amongst a vocal majority?

It has always been said that "The greatest way for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing." It is time for us, as Christians, to guard ourselves against cowering in fear and allowing the godless to run all over us. Of course we don't literally "fight back" or become rude, obnoxious, and hateful in actions or words. We always maintain our composure, our testimony, our godly example.

We must understand that fear is but the ammunition of the terrorist, the chord in which evil uses to choke our message and the noise Satan uses to drown out the truth. When you are tempted to succumb to the fear of threats, opposition, and intimidation of others, remember it is not your battle to fight! As 2 Chronicles 20:15 says, "This is what the Lord says to you, 'do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.'"

Give God room (and time) to deal with those who cause trouble in your life. As God commanded Joshua following the death of Moses in Joshua 1:9, "This is my command -- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

We can stand our ground and make our point and even state our position, but we must do so with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). We must stay grounded in the truth, know our Scriptures, and stay close to Jesus in a loving, personal and intimate relationship. And, as we do so, don't ever quit...never!! Now, take your towel, fold it, and put it back in the linen closet where it belongs!

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in John 19:28 and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Did you know that the word tetelestai was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...

The 50-Days of Easter

Jesus rose from the dead. Period! He is alive. We are “easter people” and live daily as proof that He is risen from the dead. He did walk out of the grave. He conquered death. Jesus not only came back to life, but He stayed on earth to be seen by many witness. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 , “ He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.” After the resurrection, Jesus spent forty days on earth before He ascended back to His rightful place (1 Peter 3:22), and then there were ten more days after that before the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47). Jesus accomplished many things in this time between His resurrection and return to Heaven. One of the most important was actually a command to us. We refer to this impor...

Not Rejected

I think we could spend hours, if not days, in just the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. If there is one thing that is made clear in this writing is that God is passionately pursuing us and bidding us to have a relationship with Him that is restored by His Son, Jesus. There is one verse, in particular, that stands out to me. John 6:37 , “However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.” Those that come to Jesus will never be rejected. If you come to Jesus, just as you are now, he will not turn you away. He gladly welcomes you to come to him. It is not God’s design or plan that we live separated from Him. He makes the way for that relationship to happen. He initiated the plan. He paid the price. He gives freely. He gives us free-will to choose or reject that offer of reconciliation through Jesus, His Son. God makes His intent clear: Ezekiel 33:11 , “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the ...

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