Wednesday’s 333 Devotional: “Refuse to Quit”

Paul was someone who could have easily been depressed. He was whipped, beaten, stoned, and left for dead. He was imprisoned, shipwrecked, and was in constant in peril from both the Jews and Gentiles.

He could have easily fallen into despair, but He knew God’s plan and purpose and it kept him from becoming depressed.

“For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Philippians 1:23-24)

We need to know God’s plan and purpose and refuse to give in to the enemy’s strategy to get us depressed and unable to fulfill God’s calling.

Sometimes it’s just about getting up in the morning.

More often than I’d like to admit I don’t want to get up. I wake up before dawn and all the stuff I have to do, along with what I haven’t done and the problems that wait, comes crashing down and all I want to do is stay in bed.

But God has a plan and a purpose and so I roll, sometimes crawl, out of bed and start my day in God’s word.

Getting into God’s word and prayer reshapes my thinking realizing I need to be about my heavenly Father’s business, and then He gives me strength to accomplish those things I need to do.

And while I know there is so much more I didn’t accomplish; I have learned the hard way to leave that for tomorrow and accomplish what He has set for me today (Matthew 6:34).

So, let’s not lose heart and quit, Paul says, because we’ll reap His benefits in the end.

“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9)