So you’ve decided to quit? Let me guess:

“No one appreciates what I do.”

“I was sick and nobody came to see me.”

“I didn’t get the position I wanted.”

“I’m much better qualified than they are.”

“They ignored me.”

“They hurt me.”

“I’m tired.”

The list goes on and on. I’ve heard them all before. I get the picture-you feel hurt and you want people to know it. I’ve been there done that. We all have. But not everybody quits. So why are you? “I just need to be encouraged”, you say. No, it’s more likely that you need a swift kick in the backside!

“But I deserve better”, you say. You really don’t want to go there. If you got what you deserved it would be much worse than it is. What makes you think you deserve a problem free life? Were it not for God’s mercies we would all be consumed.

Listen, it’s time you stopped acting like a baby. You didn’t get your way so you’re going to take your toys and go home. That’s pathetic! Grow up. This is the real world. Stop and take a good look at your own life. The chances are good that you will discover that you’re not so good. You are just as bad or worse than the people you criticize. You complain because they didn’t show you any special attention and you haven’t made a hospital visit in the last ten years. Gimme a break, you quit a long time ago. You just want people to know that you are mad.

“But”, you say, “I don’t have any friends.” Whose fault is that? You won’t like the answer, but you are the one to blame. “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly—“(Proverbs 18:24). If you drag around with a sour look on your face, never ministering to others, don’t expect the world to beat a path to your door!

Suppose everything you say is true-you have been horribly mistreated. The fact is that we live in a fallen world and some people are as mean as a junkyard dog. Life isn’t always fair, fun , and easy. People will mistreat you, there’s no doubt about it, but what does that have to do with you quitting? Absolutely nothing. Our duty doesn’t end just because conditions are unfavorable. By the way stop laying the blame on God by saying, “The Lord is leading me to do it.” In most cases He has nothing to do with it.

Have you ever thought about who else might quit because you do? Your foolish actions could cause your spouse, your children, or your grandchildren to do the same. You will have to answer for that. Your fit of anger, dereliction of duty, and childish behavior can do untold damage. And, that’s not something God is going to wink at.

You got mad and quit-now you’re probably mad at me. You’re mad because I told you the truth, not because I mistreated you. So where will this end? If you quit the church, what else will you quit when things don’t go your way-your marriage? Your job? Where does it end?

I’m not trying to minimize your problems, nor be cruel. My hope is to shock you into reality. Your choice to quit has nothing to do with others. It has everything to do with you. It’s a reflection of your character. You can determine the greatness of a person by what it takes to stop him. If he has a Christ-like character nothing will stop him.

If you want to quit something, quit complaining, quit feeling sorry for yourself, quit blaming others, quit expecting people to treat you like royalty, quit thinking you deserve an easier life than that of Christ. No one has beaten you beyond recognition and nailed you to a cross. You’ve never had to suffer the horror of being banished from the presence of God. There are no nail prints in your hands, nor wound from a spear in your side. Until you’ve suffered like that, never speak again of quitting.

Now I have just one favor to ask. Please keep a copy of this article and send it to me if I ever speak of deserting my post of Christian duty. There is no stopping place in this life. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”(2 Timothy 2:3). He never quit on you! THINK ABOUT IT!

Someone sent me an email telling me how much they appreciated “MORNING MANIA”. Are you paying attention? They weren’t. Had they been paying attention they would have noticed that it is “Manna”, not “Mania”. I don’t mention this to rebuke them, I deeply appreciate their kindness and I needed a good laugh. I’m simply using this to point out the need to pay attention. In a case like this it is no big deal, but in some cases it can be serious.

Thousands die in car wrecks every year because someone wasn’t paying attention. The latest craze among teens is to “text” while they are driving. There has already been several fatalities as a result of this. Using a cell phone while you are driving is bad enough, I can’t even imagine how anyone could think they can drive safe while sending a text message!

We could probably think of a 1001 applications that could be made in regards to the importance of paying attention, but I want to mention just one—we need to pay attention to God. When He speaks, and He does everytime the Bible is read, we need to pay attention, to listen carefully. Not paying attention to God leads to a lot of confusion and it can be deadly. We cannot afford to miss what God says. Whether it is a warning, a promise, a command, or counsel we need to know what God is saying.

Sadly our bad habit of not paying attention often carries over into our spiritual life. Some people sit through a church service looking straight ahead, as though they are listening, but their mind is in a place far far away. That reminds me of my childhood days ,as I stared out the window, day dreaming while the teacher was trying to teach. That might cause you to fail a class, but not listening to God can cause you to fail in life. When we stand before the Lord to give an account of ourselves, saying, “I wasn’t paying attention” will not be an acceptable excuse for our failure. THINK ABOUT IT!

I believe in testifying about what God has done. We have an obligation to make His mighty works known, but as strange as it might seem, I believe we must be careful about it. Among the many things I cannot explain there is this–I’ve noticed, after many years of observation, that often times when we start talking about what God is doing He stops. At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but after it happened over and over again I started believing there is something more to it.

Over the last couple years God has been blessing our church in unusual ways. I am so excited that I want to talk about it, but I’m fearful of doing so. All I will say is that God is amazing! I’ve always understood that God blesses us inspite of us, not because of us–none of us are earning our way with God, but now this is more real to me than ever. We don’t deserve anything, yet God continues to shower His blessings upon us. I don’t know why it’s happening, I just don’t want to get in the way and hinder His working. I don’t want to “limit the Holy One of Israel”. He is causing dreams to come true before my very eyes and I can’t wait to see what He might do next.

It seems to me that there are some things that are better left unsaid. When seasons of great blessings come, be thankful and rejoice, but always beware that you never leave the impression that you deserve them or some how made them happen. The only explanation I can give is that our blessings come by His grace and for His glory. Beyond that I cannot explain them.