January 20 - Press On

Press On

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for
at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Vince Lombardi used to say, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog,” while Robert Schuller refrained, “Tough times never last…tough people do.”  Boiling it down, perseverance determines more about our lives than almost any quality we have. 

Think about this:

• Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was rejected by twenty-three publishers.  The twenty fourth publisher sold six million copies.
• During their first year of business, the Coca-Cola Company sold only 400 cokes.
• In his first three years in the automobile business, Henry Ford went bankrupt two times.
• The Beatles were rejected by several companies before they found one that would give them a contract.
• Abraham Lincoln lost an unprecedented number of political races before becoming arguably our greatest President.

Quitting points abound, but we have a Lord who gives us power to press on. It’s in those moments that we are shaped, strengthened and secured in Him.  As a young boy, I remember the feeling of having failed at points whether in sports or school, and receiving an anonymous poster that found a permanent place on my bedroom wall.  It said the following:

When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit

Life is strange with it’s twists and turns
As everyone of us sometimes learns
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell just how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seems worst that “you must not quit.”

The Apostle Paul could have just as easily put that in the book of Galatians where he wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for
in a proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Or 2 Corinthians when he stated, “We are pressed but not crushed, persecuted not abandoned.”

As we move toward the Super Bowl countdown, remember the most meaningless statistics in football is the half-time score.  As you know and I know, anything could happen in the last two quarters. Things can turn around and they often do.  As Dr. Seuss might say, “You can succeed when your weary and then you’ll find that life is cheery.” Or was it Paul who said that?

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)     What most often causes you to give up?  (People, pressure, emotions, etc.)

2)     Ask God what He might be speaking to you when you face a weary season.

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

  

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