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Don't Give Up On God
"Now the just shall live by faith:
but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him"
(Hebrews 10:38).
by Tom Stewart
Preface
n truth, only two kinds of people
inhabit this planet-- those who are for Christ and those who are against
Christ. Jesus said, "He that is not against
us is on our part" (Mark 9:40).
The Apostle Peter wisely observed, "Of
a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that
feareth Him, and worketh Righteousness, is accepted with Him"
(Acts 10:34, 35). On one hand, Christ's adversaries are commanded,
"Repent ye, and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15); but, on the other, to the Saints, who
may be presently undergoing difficult times and circumstances, the Apostle Paul said,
"Stand fast in the faith, quit you like
men, be strong" (1Corinthians 16:13).
Strength comes in the believing of those words from God. "In
the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk"
(Acts 3:6). The Epistle of James promised, "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). And, to that testimony, the Apostle
Paul added, "If God be for us, who can
be against us?" (Romans 8:31). If
we are doing right, then we should never quit. "Now
the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure
in him" (Hebrews 10:38).
Right Doing is Righteousness
ight action flows from right willing or the willingness
to do right. That is Righteousness. "Little
children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth Righteousness is righteous, even
as He is Righteous" (1John 3:7).
When we are actively trusting "Jesus Christ
the Righteous" (2:1), then we are
"clothed with Righteousness" (Psalm 132:9), and we may rely that His promised
Spirit is working in us "to will and to
do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). In fact, we may fortify ourselves that so long as we still have the slightest
willingness to do right, the Almighty will breathe strength into us by His Spirit.
"And I will put My Spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and ye shall keep My Judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27). What an amazing amalgamation of
the Sovereignty of God with the Free Will of man! "My
Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17)! When you feel yourself ready to give up, pray for the mercy of God-- "uphold me with Thy Free Spirit" (Psalm
51:12). Since God "cannot
deny Himself" (2Timothy 2:13), in
that He faithfully chooses the right, He will always choose those who choose the
right, as well, i.e., "Blessed are they
that keep judgment, and he that doeth Righteousness at all times" (Psalm 106:3). Even when He will soon judge the Earth,
He chooses the right in that He seeks His own highest good and the highest good of
His moral creatures. "Thus will I magnify
Myself, and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and
they shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 38:23). "The LORD is known by the Judgment
which He executeth" (Psalm 9:16).
"When Thy Judgments are in the Earth,
the inhabitants of the world will learn Righteousness"
(Isaiah 26:9).
Giving Up on God is Not Our Right
hen we are tempted to cease from doing right, we
are tempted to give up on God, e.g., "he
that believeth not God hath made Him a liar" (1John
5:10). We have no more right to give up on God than an employee has
to disobey a lawful order from his employer. "Servants,
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers;
but in singleness of heart, fearing God" (Colossians
3:22). Neither should we feel that children obeying their parents
is anything but what is expected by God and ourselves. "Children,
obey your parents in the LORD: for this is right" (Ephesians
6:1). In fact, we have no right to feel that we have done anything
but our duty, when we did not give up on God. "So
likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say,
We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do" (Luke 17:10). That God is pleased with our faith
and right doing is evident by His Word, i.e., "without
faith it is impossible to please Him" (Hebrews
11:6), and by His rewards, e.g., "Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown
of Life, which the LORD hath promised to them that love Him"
(James 1:12). But, His punishment for unbelief, disobedience,
and wickedness demonstrates His displeasure for our not doing or ceasing to do what
we know is right, i.e., "Therefore to
him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). "8 But unto them that are contentious,
and do not obey the Truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, upon every
soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile" (Romans 2:8-9).
God's Spirit and Promises Keep Us From Giving Up on Him
as the dinner bell rung yet? Is it time to quit?
Has God officially authorized us to stop doing our duty? Was it not our understanding
to keep our "hand to the plough" (Luke 9:62) until the LORD takes us Home, as He did
Enoch? "And Enoch walked with God: and
he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). When we are tempted to give up on God, then we need to immediately avail
ourselves of the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises of God, that have been specifically
designed for just such temptations. "Whereby
are given unto us Exceeding Great and Precious Promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust" (2Peter 1:4). [See
our article, "Exceeding Great
and Precious Promises" ---New Window, to see how God has magnificently
designed His Promises to fit our every conceivable circumstance and thereby sanctify
and further prepare us for our future Heavenly vocations.]
Spiritual first aid begins by pouring in as many Promises of the Word of God as we
can reasonably find. "As thy days, so
shall thy strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:25). [The Promises Section ---New Window of our website would be a good place to start. Couple
a good Promise with a computerized cross reference search, such as the Treasury of
Scripture Knowledge used by the Online Bible (Windows ---New Window and Macintosh ---New Window), and you will be able to find
even more Promises.] Especially find one Promise that the Holy Spirit
can recall to your mind. For example, the need for the "meekness
and gentleness of Christ" (2Corinthians 10:1), especially when you are provoked by those that despise your testimony,
may call forth the Promise that preeminence with God goes to those who primarily
defend Him and not self: "the last shall
be first, and the first last" (Matthew 20:16). The "meek and lowly in heart" Christ (Matthew 11:29) is always the Promise,
the Pattern. and the Example that "ye
should follow His steps" (1Peter 2:21).
"He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth"
(Isaiah 53:7). [More about meekness may be found in
the Systematic Theology ---New Window, by Charles G. Finney ---New Window, i.e., "Another attribute
of benevolence is Meekness."]
Again, you may not think of your bouts with impatience, haughtiness, fearfulness,
etc. as anything more than something that you have under control; but, why do you
keep repeating the same pattern of failure? "Are
ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3). Isn't that the same as giving up
on God by fits and starts? "He that trusteth
in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered" (Proverbs 28:26). It is not enough to know that you
should not do something or that you should do something, but you need
the assistance of the Holy Spirit to help you do what God says you are able to do
but won't succeed in doing until He intervenes. "And
I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and ye shall
keep My Judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27). [See our editorial, "Can
God Guarantee Our Obedience?" ---New Window,
to see how Divine Sovereignty providentially needs not overpower our Free Will to
insure our obedience.]
Conclusion
hough giving up on God is an option, why entertain
it? "He which hath begun a good work in
you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians
1:6). What is the value of a Promise for your perseverance, unless
you believe it? "6
But Christ as a Son over His Own House; whose
House are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope
firm unto the end... 14 For
we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
stedfast unto the end" (Hebrews 3:6, 14).
May the God "Who worketh all things after
the Counsel of His Own Will" (Ephesians 1:11) magnify Himself in keeping us from giving up on Him, in that "He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Philippians 3:21).
Maranatha!
[Read our article, "He Will
Subdue Our Iniquities" ---New Window, for encouragement for the fulfillment
of this Promise from Micah 7:19.]
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