Quit

Have you ever just wanted to quit? You have been entrusted with a certain position but for some reason all of a sudden nothing’s going right.  Quitting is always the easy way out of any problem, the problem with quitting is that you never grow above the problem. We can pray and pray but see no or little results, so we decide to quit. We talk and tell others about the Lord but as we do, it seems that no one pays little or no attention to what we are saying, so we quit. If we act and think like that we will discourage our own self; remember it's easy to quit. The runner who quits in the race never wins!  Abraham Lincoln is a man that I admire because he didn't quit. In 1832 he lost his job, 1833 he fails in business, 1835 his sweetheart dies, 1836 he had a nervous breakdown, 1838 he is defeated for house speaker, 1843 he is defeated for nomination for Congress, 1854 he was defeated for US Senate, 1856 he was defeated for nomination for Vice President, 1858 he was defeated again for US Senate. Over twenty-five years of failures and setbacks; he could have said "what’s the use I'll never amount to anything I have tried and failed, I think I'll just quit." If Abraham Lincoln would have had that type of attitude he would have robbed me of an attitude that it can be done! He has shown me it could by his not quitting because in 1860 this so called failure became the sixteenth President of the United Stated. How do we learn not to become quitters? The Apostle Paul found himself in prison as he wrote Timothy a letter and in that letter he wrote that a man named “Demas” had quit.

2Timothy 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world,  Demas left, he quit, he didn’t quit over night for he had been with Paul for some time. Somewhere Demas got his mind and eyes on what he thought was better and he quit. Paul may have been disappointed even hurt but he asked Timothy to bring him some things.

2Timothy 4:13  The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.  Paul asked for a cloke and some books but there is one thing he tells Timothy not to forget and that’s the “parchments.” What were these parchments?  Most likely these were the books of the Old Testament, which were written on parchments.  Timothy you can forget the coat and the books but you make sure that you bring me the parchments. I’m willing to be cold, I am willing not to read the books but I must have the parchments. Could it be that Paul would find words of encouragement in the writing of the parchments? Paul is facing death and urges Timothy to get there soon. Is that not what David did?

1Samuel 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. So when we find ourselves discouraged, ready to quit that is when we need to get encouraging words and thoughts from God’s Word and allow Him to encourage us with His word. Our Lord didn’t quit He went all the way; we can too but not without the Word of God to encourage us. Remember anyone can quit!