Paul and Barnabas were on a missionary journey in Asia Minor. They had run into persecution along the way, and at Lystra Paul was stoned and was believed to be dead. The trouble had been stirred up by Jews from Antioch and Iconium, two previous places where they shared the good news. Here is what the Bible says about the incident: "And there came certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe." (Acts 14:19-20) One would have thought that Paul would have told Barnabas: "Look, this missionary business has gotten rougher than I anticipated. I guess the people just don't appreciate all that I am trying to do for them. Let's just go back to Antioch (in Syria, not Asia Minor) and work out something to keep us from getting into so much trouble." As you just read, that is not what happened. Paul got up from the ground, and went on to Derbe, the next city, with Barnabas. As we read this, it seems like it was so easy for Paul to do this. It wasn't easy, it was just the way Paul was. He was so dedicated to Jesus that he would not give up what he had been led to do. Paul knew that this work was about Jesus and not about himself.
Haven't you ever felt that you wanted to just throw your hands up and quit? You might have felt this way about your work, about your church, or about the work that you were doing at the church. You felt that you were not appreciated, and that you would be better off to just quit and go your own way. You might be asking: "Preacher how do you know so much about this?" I know it because I have felt like quitting many times over the years, but I have never been able to. Why? Because God would not let me. You see, I had to be reminded that my life for Jesus, whether at the church or in secular society, is not about me and what I want. It is about Jesus and what He wants. If we quit outside of His will, we will eventually become useless to His work for us in this life. If you feel like quitting, just ask yourself if that is God's will for your life. If it is, by all means quit, but if it isn't, just get up like Paul and go on in your service to God. Don't quit! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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