3:69 – I Won’t Give Up On You

#faithbites #faithjourney Quit

No matter what you say, what you do, what you have done, or what you are thinking, I will never give up on you. This is the type of God we have. I try to be that person in all of my conversations. Through discussion, education, and life, we should all try to never give up on anyone. The fact of the matter is we do. Maybe we change a job and don’t see them that often and they fade away. Maybe the person has royally ticked you off and you can’t forgive them. Whatever it is, we quit on people.

Imagine if we didn’t quit on people. Imagine if we stuck with people through thick and thin? What an awesome network we would have. (And yes, there are people in your life who are destructive and you need to separate from them. While you are quitting on them, it is needed. But these times should be slim and far between).

Scripture

• “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” – Genesis 28:15
• Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
• For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

Reflection

God will be with us until the end of the age. He won’t leave us until he has done all he has promised. Nothing will separate us from the Lord. When you look at those verses, does it say that it is only true if you are good? Does it say that if you sin, you won’t get that? No. It says very clearly that he loves us no matter what. Yes, like all parents he wants us to obey, but sin will not separate us. He loves us and will never quit on us.

We try to forgive like Christ, but we fail. That is OK. We can keep on trying. If we emulate Him, we will get closer to Him. There are people who I dislike and can’t stand. But have I written them off? No. I wish I could fully forgive, but right now I can’t. While I work on that, it’s nice to know that God will never write me off. He will never give us up, never let us down, never gonna run around or desert us. (Sorry, Rick Astley took over for a minute).

Our God is awesome!

Challenge

Have you given up on someone? Have you written them off? Maybe it’s time to revive that relationship. Maybe it’s hard on your heart and you need to move past it. Talk to God, pray on it. Find a way to forgive either an injustice against you or an injustice you caused to someone else. Don’t let time slip away when you can be building a community of love.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for never quitting on us. We don’t deserve your unselfish love and forgiveness. We deserve darkness but yet, you forgive us. We should be cast aside, but you are always with us. Help us to be more like you. Help us to forgive others. Let us try to see their points of view and not write them off. We love you, Jesus, for your example. Let us show your example through us. In your name, Amen