Many of us quit, half way through with what we have started and we have enough reasons why we do it.  What does the Bible talk about in terms of giving up? Does the Bible recommend us to quit or does it urge us not to give up.

Galatians 6:9 “…for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

What does it mean? The scripture tells us that if we do not give up, we will surely see the reward of it. For example the farmer sows his seed.  He does not see the grains immediately, he waits for the rain and sun and  at the proper time the harvest will come, during harvest it is not what he sowed but several measures more than what he had sown. If this is true for a farmer I am sure the same principle applies for us too. The only thing is to wait patiently until we see results.

Before getting into the principles of how not to quit, let us examine few reasons why we quit. The reasons can be so many; I have tried listing few of them…

1. Fear of failure.
2. Skepticism I am not the one.
3. I am not trained enough.
4. Someone can do it better than me.
5. I don’t want to be the first, let someone do it and then I will follow.
6. I have a bitter past experience.
7. This is not my cup of tea.
8. I don’t want to be embarrassed.
9. I am too sensitive to handle failures.
10. My support system is poor.
11. I don’t prefer to risk when all is fine.
12. Why get into a mess?

I want to cover two aspects for not giving up, and quote a few people and their views on never giving up…

Marilyn von Savant – being defeated is often temporary, giving up makes it permanent.
Thomas Edison – many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
King Solomon – for an upright man, after falling seven times, will get up again. (Proverbs 24:16)

I. Making the most of every opportunity.  

(Ephesians 5: 15,16) Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

The wise person makes the most of the opportunity but the foolish ones miss out on every opportunity and grumble about their failures. Grab every chance that you get, never mind whether you fail or win – the result is secondary what is primary is the attempt. There is nothing wrong in giving it a try, it might click and we can become experts so I urge you not to miss a chance. Peter toiled all night at the sea but was willing to give it a try when Jesus told him to do so. By Following the Instructions of Jesus, He made a full catch. Never decide to give up when all seems uphill and the door is closed upon your face.
If you have God on your side then you are in the majority. Maybe you made a lot of attempts to bring life to your marriage or job or any given situation. My advise is to try again. The next step could be the winning step. Don’t give up on your marriage, job, career, life just because things did not turn out the way you expected. You have the power within you to make things right. Change your approach or your attitude and then you will see that the mountain that you see will become a molehill.
God spoke to Abraham in Romans 4v18 to 22 and the bible tells us that at the age of 100, Abraham did not waver in faith but believed God that he will have a son of promise. Now that is faith in action. Even if you have no money to your name, believe in the promises of God. If God has promised then the promises are faithful because God cannot lie.

2. Marching Forward.  

(Philippians 3:13) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.

If you have to march forward, you have to forget about what happened in the past, if we brood over the past then it will hinder our progress. Paul understood this and that is why he is going ahead with the goal and not worried over the past. If Paul had to think of his past then it will bring shame and guilt but He knows that the blood of Christ has cleansed him and he is a brand new creation in Christ. He overcame the shame and guilt of destroying so many good Christians and began to be a blessing. He never gave up but carried on.

Dear friends, how about you? Better wise up, make the most of every opportunity. Never leave room for compromise, March forward don’t retreat. I think of Henry ford, his first car was not able to even go faster than the horse chariot, he never gave up and today FORD is moving up to speed. The Wright brothers first flying machine fell and broke after it took off to few feet but they never gave up and today we see planes that fly at a phenomenal speed at great altitudes. We have Jesus on our side we will surely be conquerors, not just conquerors but more than conquerors.

God bless you.