Are you a quitter?

But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion. It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up most any minute. But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy. But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way. (Hebrews 10:36 MSG)

'Sticking it out' might not be the most popular thing to do at times, but it is the wisest choice we make if we choose to 'stick it out' with Jesus! The more we resist the temptation to be part of this world's norms, the more we might be labeled as goody-two-shoes by some. There is nothing wrong with being seen as making righteous choices, though - it just might mean the ones noticing the difference in our choices and are more than a bit curious about why we make them. Loyal trust isn't going to cut and run, is it? The times may change and it could get a bit harder to remain faithful to truth, but when we make an active choice to serve Jesus no matter what, we are going to see a great reward when all is said and done. Quitters lose out. That was something I had to learn in everyday life, but it is also something I have had to learn in my spiritual life. It wasn't easy getting into his Word every day, but the more I engaged with him, even when I didn't always understand what I was reading, the more his Word became clear to me. 

There is something about being faithful that always requires an investment. It may be our time, but it could also be our attention! The thing I lacked when I first started studying God's Word was attention to detail. Details like who the words were first written to or about; what was happening when they were written; or what the outcome was as a result of the actions taken. A friend told me to start using a simple commentary that would help me to understand the 'background' of the writing. When I did, my 'reading' became more of a 'study' and the truth contained in those pages became a source of blessing instead of a drudgery. After a while, I began to ask God questions. Simple ones at first, like 'why did you set that condition for that blessing' or 'how did that attitude form in that person's heart'. Those questions led to the deeper ones, like 'am I meeting that condition' or 'do I exhibit that attitude'. Shortly after I began to study his Word, I began the process of journaling. Those of you who don't exactly like to write 'stuff' down might find this a bit daunting at first, but it could just be two lines - the truth he revealed that day, why it mattered to you at that moment. It doesn't have to be grandiose, but when you go to look back at those words later on, you might just realize God has done a work in you in getting you from there to where you are right now.

Don't quit when things don't make sense, or when they get a bit harder than you might have anticipated when you started. Faithful endurance is always rewarded - if not today, at a later date when you see the reward of that endurance. Just sayin!