When You Feel Like Quitting
Then
I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name.
But his word was in mine heart as a burning
fire shut up in my bones,
and
I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
How 'bout you? Ever feel like quittin'? Just giving up, throwin' in
the towel, walkin' away? Jeremiah did. At least once. I think everyone at least briefly considers it some times. I
remember going to Bible school and wanting to quit Greek, oh, how many times? And
we've all known plenty of Christians who, for whatever reasons, just don't
stick with it. Something or someone along the way persauded them to give up.
Paul said, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey
the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you." There are
always a lot of people, especially Christians, who try to subtly persuade you
to quit. I see a progression in this verse which I want to point out to you,
and try to help us all to stick with it and stay by the stuff.
When I'm tempted to quit, I'm always reminded of a couple verses
over in John 6 starting in verse 66 thru 68,
"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no
more with him. Then said Jesus unto the
twelve, Will ye also go away? Then
Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life."
The
question is, "to whom shall we go?" Think about it. Where would you
go? You know too much.
"For unto whomsoever
much is given,
of him shall be much required:"
So quit worrying about and dwelling on yourself and get out there
and tell a lost and dying world about their only hope...the Lord Jesus Christ!
Notice, if you will:
I.
He Tried to
Quiet the word; v.9a
"...I
will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name..."
Now this is like when so-called
"Christians" hear that you're a street preacher. "Well, I just
think it does more harm than good" Ah, shut up! Who asked you? You want to
see a street preacher who caught some flack, sometime check out Jer. 26! They
tried to kill him. None of you have been hauled off to be killed yet!
How about you? When God gives you a
message, ones that He wants PREACHED, do you "share" it with others?
“Share” is not a Bible word. "...it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe." "For the preaching of the cross is
to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God." Is there any POWER in your preaching? Or do you hold back?
According to Jer.48:10 "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD
deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood." Drawn any blood lately? Why not? You better
not be trying to quiet the word! The Lord Jesus Christ is the Living Word, and
He’s coming back with a shout, not a whisper!
Isn’t it time we all got over the
fear of man and started speaking up for our Lord and Saviour?
II.
He Tried to Quench the word; v.9b
"...But
his word was in mine heart as a burning fire..."
Now, there are lots of ways
Christians quench the word, like when the Holy Spirit wants you to sing loud or
amen the preaching but you're worried about what people might think. My boy Joshua
makes more noise than most of you! He loves to sing, and I don't want him
growing up worried about singing loud because of what people might think. You
keep right on shouting Joshua! Another way to quench the word is when you know
you're supposed to hand out a tract, and you make some lame excuse like
"I'm too busy" or "I don't have the right tract" or, once
again, "what will they think?" I know what God thinks! "The
fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be
safe.”
III.
He Tried to Quit the word; v.9c
"...I
was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."
I know that just about everyone
thinks about giving up at some point. Someone once said, "the test of your
character is what it takes to stop you". Job said, "I have esteemed
the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." How 'bout you? Will you forgo eating, if
that's what it takes to make time to read this Book? Have you ever read what it
says in Deut. 8:3?
"And
he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou
knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that
man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of the LORD doth man live”.
Maybe you need to "...taste
and see that the Lord is good." You're supposed to "endure
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ". Ask a soldier if he can
quit. They own you. Shouldn't you most gladly serve the Captain of your
Salvation? You were bought with a price, you can't quit now!