Haveyou ever just wanted to quit? You have been entrusted with a certain positionbut for some reason all of a sudden nothing’s going right. Quitting isalways the easy way out of any problem, the problem with quitting is that younever grow above the problem. We can pray and pray but see no or littleresults, so we decide to quit. We talk and tell others about the Lord but as wedo, it seems that no one pays little or no attention to what we are saying, sowe quit. If we act and think like that we will discourage our own self;remember it’s easy to quit. The runner who quits in the race never wins! Abraham Lincoln is a man that I admire because he didn’t quit. In 1832 he losthis job, 1833 he fails in business, 1835 his sweetheart dies, 1836 he had a nervousbreakdown, 1838 he is defeated for house speaker, 1843 he is defeated fornomination for Congress, 1854 he was defeated for US Senate, 1856 he wasdefeated for nomination for Vice President, 1858 he was defeated again for USSenate. Over twenty-five years of failures and setbacks; he could have said”what’s the use I’ll never amount to anything I have tried and failed, Ithink I’ll just quit.” If Abraham Lincoln would have had that type of attitudehe would have robbed me of an attitude that it can be done! He has shown me itcould by his not quitting because in 1860 this so called failure becamethe sixteenth President of the United Stated. How do we learn not to becomequitters? The Apostle Paul found himself in prison as he wrote Timothy a letterand in that letter he wrote that a man named “Demas” had quit.
2Timothy4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, Demas left, he quit, he didn’t quit overnight for he had been with Paul for some time. Somewhere Demas got his mind andeyes on what he thought was better and he quit. Paul may have been disappointedeven hurt but he asked Timothy to bring him some things.
2Timothy4:13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest,bring with thee, and the books, but especially theparchments. Paul asked for acloke and some books but there is one thing he tells Timothy not to forget andthat’s the “parchments.” What were these parchments? Most likely these were the books of the OldTestament, which were written on parchments. Timothy you can forget the coat and the booksbut you make sure that you bring me the parchments. I’m willing to be cold, I amwilling not to read the books but I must have the parchments. Could it be thatPaul would find words of encouragement in the writing of the parchments? Paulis facing death and urges Timothy to get there soon. Is that not what Daviddid?
1Samuel30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake ofstoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for hissons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. Sowhen we find ourselves discouraged, ready to quit that is when we need to getencouraging words and thoughts from God’s Word and allowHim to encourage us with His word. Our Lord didn’t quit He went all the way; wecan too but not without the Word of God to encourage us. Remember anyone canquit!
