SO YOU’RE GOING TO QUIT?
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 to encourage somebody. “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! -HDS, 8-10-09
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, TX
Sent by David Stone on Tuesday, September 9 at 6:53AM
