Don't Give Up

If you are like most of us, you've reached a point where you've thrown up your hands thinking, "What's the use, I've blown it again. I might as well give up. I'll never get it right."  You may hav been trying to lose weight, stick to a budget, maintain a relationship or any number of goals that you have set before you and failed to reach.

Even our faith walk falls prey to this thinking. You accepted Jesus as Lord, you determined to really change your life but then you slipped back into old patterns.  Once again you're thinking, "What's the use?  I'm never going to change. I am never going to live up to my faith. I'll never get this right."

The Children of Israel came to this same point. They had, once again turned away from God's will they had really blown it. It would have seemed it was the last straw.  But Samuel's word for them blew a different note entirely, replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart" (1 Sam 12:20).

This is the Lord's call to - to not give up or give. God is not done with you just because you have failed again, "Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Pet 3:9).  When Peter asked if he should forgive another wrong seven times, Jesus said, "No, but seven times seventy times"  (Matt 18:22).

God's position is to keep on forgiving as long as someone keeps coming back. As long as you have the breath of life, His call keeps calling to you. You are never too far past due so as to become unredeemable in this life.

That truth applies to all of life, by the way.  Start again to gain control of your weight, take a new run at giving up cigarettes, begin setting aside quiet time like you've tried before, go back to college, try to restart that friendship, step back through the doors of the church - don't give up or give in. In the words of Yogi Berra, "It ain't over til it's over."

Jus's Sayn.