Stick To It!

Normally the party would carry their boats around the whitewater. Here it was impossible. Their only two choices were to abandon the exploration and walk out of the Canyon through hostile and uncharted territory or face their fears and plunge ahead. Three chose to leave; seven chose to tackle the rapids. Surprisingly they discovered that the rapids were short and far less menacing than they at first appeared. Within a few minutes they cleared the rapids and found smooth sailing in calm water. They had made it through Separation Rapid unscathed, with all their gear in tact. The three who had left were never heard from again. Those who remain together in the face of trial will soon discover that God provides the grace to endure and survive the trial. Those who bail out on the rest of the group will soon perish because they have forfeited the fellowship of the saints and ministry of the spiritual gifts to see them through.

4. Stick to Your Unfinished Task

Don’t be a quitter. See it through. Be an example to others. Nehemiah didn’t quit when he was up against it.

Neh 6:1-4

1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it-- though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates--

2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono." But they were scheming to harm me;

3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?"

4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time gave them the same answer.

What do we mean by “tasks?” Any God-given responsibility, such as:

 Being a parent

 Being a spouse

 Being a Christian out there in the marketplace

 Having a position of leadership in the local church

What is it that often causes us to jump away from our chariot, that influences us to give up before the job is done?

 Discouragement

 Fatigue

 Failure

 Fear that we can’t get it done

 Perfectionism

 Criticism

Illus.: Oswald Smith Reached His Goal Through a Detour

As a young man, Oswald Smith dreamed of becoming a missionary. The dream dominated his life. Over and over again he prayed, “Lord, I want to go as a missionary for You. Open a door of service for me, please.” At last he stood before an examining board for selecting missionaries. When the exam was over, he was turned down. He did not meet their qualifications. He failed the test. He had set his course, but now life gave him a detour. What would he do? Give up? Quit? Not Oswald Smith. As he prayed, God planted another idea in his heart. If he couldn’t go as a missionary, he would build a church which could send out missionaries. And that he did. He pastored The People’s church of Toronto, Canada. That church sent out more missionaries than any other church at that time. Oswald Smith brought God into the situation and God transformed his detour into a main thoroughfare of service.