DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT QUITTING!
‘Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.’ (Proverbs 16:3 NLT)
Are You Resting On Your Laurels?
Now some of you may not be really familiar with this expression. This expression came from Greek civilization when a laurel wreath, from a bay tree, was placed on the head of a person who won a victory or who had achieved a certain status. This expression though has come to mean that a person resting on his or her laurels was happy with past successes and considered further effort unnecessary. Is this a biblical mindset?
Solomon wrote,
Do you see a man skillful and experienced in his work? He will stand [in honor] before kings. (Proverbs 22:29 AMP).
Success is Always a Possibility
Success is always a possibility, but never a guarantee. It belongs to the man or woman who’s willing to show up early, stay late, go the extra mile, and keep asking, Is there a better or more efficient way of doing this?
Fix That Clock
In 1957, David Ogilvy created one of the most successful ads ever seen for a top automobile company. It said, “At sixty miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.” With this ad campaign, the sales of Rolls-Royce vehicles went up by 50% from 1957 to 1958, but funnily enough, when they ran the ad, the company’s CEO, smiled and said, “I guess we’ve got to do something about that clock!” He was never complacent about going the extra mile; it was about excellence, not performance!
Stay The Course – Refuse To Quit
A young man once asked Henry Ford, ‘How can I make a name for myself and be successful?” He replied, “Decide what you want, then stick with it. Never deviate from your course no matter how long it takes or how hard the road, until you’ve accomplished your purpose.” Successful people have one thing in common: they refuse to quit! No matter how many times they fall, they get back up, dust themselves off, learn from it, and start over.
Paul J. Meyer says, “Ninety-nine percent of those who fail are not actually defeated, they simply quit.” So whether you are in business, ministry, or work for someone else, don’t quit. Keep going and do it with an attitude that glorifies God.
Mark Twain once said, “Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.” Although there may be days when we can feel like he got it right, we know God has ordained work as a stewardship of his created world (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). He has designed work for His glory and our good.
If we don’t quit, we will eventually see the fruit of our labor (Ps 128:2 NKJV).
The Bible also says in (Galatians 6:9),
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Our Biggest Fears Becomes Our Greatest Opportunities
Just because some seasons can be tougher than others, it is not the time to give up. A breakthrough may be right around the corner. Sometimes in the midst of the fear of failure, that’s when our biggest opportunity for success and forward momentum comes!
The diligence portrayed in Joshua 1:9 needs to be modeled to a world that likes to tear down, gives up, or becomes defeated in its endeavor for success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9 KJV).
The Temporal Versus Eternal
In the minds of most people, successes are primarily for temporal things “and material stuff,” not for the eternal. In (Matthew 6:19-21), we can see that our focus should be on the eternal, as the temporal will always disappear. When are hearts are focused on the eternal facets of kingdom of God, then success is based on stewarding His resources on earth. And what are His main resources? This may surprise you—people!. You see money is a great tool but a lousy master! When the greatest resource is His heart for His children and we line up with His kingdom, He will give us all the finances and earthy resources we need to make sure His success becomes our success!
Remember, the only people who never fail are those who never try. So keep going, and don’t even think about quitting!