Endurance: Do You Ever Feel Giving Up?

ENDURANCE: DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE GIVING UP?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

THE MINUTE CHAIR.

In 1982 the ABC EVENING NEWS told a story about a modern art project that the artist created. It was called the MINUTE CHAIR. The artist took a beautiful chair and at point blank range he attached a loaded shot gun. He attached the loaded shot gun to a timing device. The timing device is set randomly to pull the trigger of the shot gun to be fired sometime in the next one hundred years. The way to correctly view the art work is by sitting in the chair staring down the barrel of the shot gun. The deal is each person has to sit in the chair for one minute before they can get up. It is so amazing people line up and sit in the MINUTE CHAIR to stare down the barrel of the loaded shot gun for ONE MINUTE. They know the gun is loaded and it will go off sometime in the next 100 years.

ARE WE GAMBLING BY TAKING A CHANCE IN THE MINUTE CHAIR? Are our choices taking RISKS? Will our choices have consequences? When will the loaded gun fire?

TEXT:

2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:3 (MSG) When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did.

ENDURANCE? FEAR KILLS ENDURANCE. FEAR IS A LIAR AND CAN NEVER TELL THE REAL TRUTH. FEAR is counterproductive. There seems to be a little whisper that tells us we are unworthy and that we CAN’T DO IT. The more you listen to that whisper you may hear: You are not good enough? You are weak? You have failed before? JUST GIVE UP!

*TIRED: The feeling of tiredness and the feeling of being all alone become seeds of discouragement, You began watching other people for what they do or what they do not do.

*ENDURANCE: is the ability to exert and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds or fatigue.

*FATIGUE: extreme tiredness from mental or physical exertion.

*PATIENCE: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

WANT TO PONDER ENDURANCE: I ASKED GOD FOR FINISHED LUMBER AND HE GAVE ME ACORNS? ACORNS? I NEED LUMBER! GOD SAYS THERE IS A MIGHTY OAK IN THAT ACORN! IT IS NOT INSTANT, AND THE OAK TAKES TIME?

EVER HEAR THE WHISPERS NOBODY CARES. TO ACCOMPLISH GOOD WORKS AND GOOD FRUIT YOU MUST HAVE STICK-ABILITY AND APPLY CONTINUOUS EFFORT. FRUIT WILL GROW IN DUE SEASON… DIVINE TIMING.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:9 (MOFF) Never let us grow tired of do- ing what is right, for if we do not faint we shall reap our harvest at the opportune season.

Galatians 6:9 (MSG) So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT2) So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

REAL LIFE IS MUCH MORE THAN ACHIEVING THE DESTINATION… REAL LIFE IS ABOUT THE JOURNEY!

Have you ever seen a football player get hit so hard that he losses the sight of the goal. Wrong Way… ROY REIGELS… played for University of California Berkley. He played center in the 1929 Rose Bowl. They were playing Georgia Tech. Wrong Way recovered a fumble and ran the ball 69 yards. Georgia Tech won the game. Roy went on to overcome his setbacks and was first team ALL-AMERICAN.

Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Romans 5:3 (NIV) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3 (NLT2) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Going through these hard times, these seemingly endless trials, this difficult season will reveal your real attitudes. This problem is not about your problems. THIS PROBLEM IS ABOUT YOUR CHOICES, YOUR ATTITUDES? GIVE UP? WILL YOU GIVE UP OR WILL YOU GROW STRONGER? ENDURANCE CAN CHANGE WHO YOU REALLY ARE!

SOME PEOPLE TAKE OFFENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD… BUT THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH: IF WE FAINT IN ADVERSITY?