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Consequences of Never Giving Up

by Jerry Ousley  
11/08/2013 / Christian Living

"I sure would love to get into a good fight!" I bragged. I was talking mighty big for a fifteen year old geeky nerd. I'm not sure if they still use these words to describe a skinny punk of a kid any more or not, but at the time that's exactly what I was. I had no idea how to fight. To be honest, except for a few skirmishes with my brothers and sister, I had never been in a fight. But it made me feel tough. Little did I know that I was about to get my wish. We should be careful what we ask for, as the old saying goes. I am now, but you can't tell that to a teenager.

We were visitors in a church several miles away, attending a revival service. A few of my friends from our own church were with us. A couple of guys from that congregation began to tease us from the row behind, and I gave it back to them. I was kidding but they weren't. Their ring leader was about four times my size and frankly, if he wasn't on a football team, he should have been. But feeling the safety of the building and surrounded by my own friends I felt confident.

Before the service was over my friends and I decided to step outside. We were barely out the door when these two guys showed up with reinforcements. The big guy walked right up to me and said something like, "I'll shut up your smart mouth kid," and before I could get a word in edgewise he punched me right in the nose! Wow that hurt! I no longer was looking for a fight and I don't recall ever making a statement like that again. When I backed down, fortunately for me the big guy did too. It could have had a disastrous outcome had I tried to fight back.

But I did stand my ground. I could have run off screaming like a baby back into the safety of the church building; but I didn't. In that, I stood my ground; but there was a price tag that went with it.

In talking about Asahel, who was chasing after Abner, we have given him a big "at-a-boy" for not giving up. In my book he is a hero because of his determination. But Abner didn't get to be the general of the army of Israel by being a wimp. He was not only tough but very crafty as well. The Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 2 that as he ran from Asahel, he pushed the blunt end of his spear into his pursuer's stomach. It hit so hard (I suppose because Asahel was running so fast) that it went into his stomach and out his back. The young man fell dead on the spot. We are also told that all the men who passed by during that conflict between Judah and Isreal stopped to view the young man, Asahel. It was a tragedy, but he became famous for giving his life for what he believed in. He did not give up!

We should stand our ground. We should never give up when we are right and especially in our salvation experience. Over the centuries many have refused to give up and have paid with their lives. It has always baffled me why men hate Christians so much. True Christians only want the best for others. They want people to find the freedom, peace, and fellowship with God that they have found. Because of the devil and sin in the world, this makes many non-believers extremely angry; enough to kill. Christians have died in Roman arenas for entertainment. They have given their lives just because they wanted the common man to have the opportunity to read the Bible in a language they could understand. They have paid with their lives because they made a choice to convert from a false religion to become a Christian. And in many countries in the world yet today, it is a crime to tell another person about Jesus Christ.

Sometimes never giving up can be very costly. There may be consequences. But we must weigh the rewards against those consequences carefully. Some of those rewards for never giving up as a believer in Christ are: Experiencing a victorious Christian life; joy even in the midst of pain and defeat; possessing the knowledge that even if we fail, we still win in Christ; feeling good when you feel bad instead of feeling bad when you feel good; having the help of the Holy Spirit in your daily life; knowing that if we die physically we will never die spiritually; and having the hope of eternal reward and a home in Heaven. I'd say these benefits far outweigh the possible consequences. If you agree, then tie another knot in your rope and hang on for dear life and don't ever, ever give up!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of "Soul Challenge", "Soul Journey", "Ordeal", "The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional" and his first novel "The Shoe Tree." Newer books include "Finality" and "Dividing God's Church." Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge

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