“Never Give Up”
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Read 1 Corn. 2:1-5
“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.” (vs. 1 HCSB)
“After a brief stay in Athens, Paul simply moved on in frustration.”(1) Beth mentions that it must have been difficult for Paul to have gone to Athens where many didn’t receive his message and he ended up leaving after a short time. Leaving alone and in that aloneness he must have gone through a gambit of feelings of solitude, insecurities, intimidation, negative thoughts, etc.
“1 Corinthians 2:2 says by the time he reached Corinth, he dad “determined to know nothing … except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Thank goodness, he knew the only thing he really had to know! He determined to base his life and ministry on Christ – his one certainty!’ ‘In 1 Corinthians 2:14 he wrote, “But the natural man does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to know it since it is evaluated spiritually.’” (2)
“Obviously Paul’s experience had a great impact on his next opportunity. He entered Corinth “in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Corn. 2:3) The word “weakness” come from an original word used for a sickness. It suggests that Paul was so scared he was physically ill. The word for “trembling” indicates something we’ve all experienced: hands shaking from nervousness. The opposite word is “confidence”. By the time Paul reached Corinth, he had lost his confidence. (3)
Sometimes we can be humming along and then all of a sudden we too can find ourselves engulfed in moments of negative insecurities. A little hick up that can sometimes drain the life out of our soul. We all have periods of frustration and it matters what we decide to do at those moments; whether we pause…then move forward or give up all together on a dream, an idea, whatever “it” is. The good news is that with the Holy Spirit as our guide, He will comfort us, He will guide us and He will strengthen us to continue on and not to give up HOPE. Maybe the situation just calls for a change of instruction or direction!!
How about you… have you given up because of a situation or people in your sphere didn’t act favorably towards you? What helped you determine your next move … whether you continued to move forward or not?
Blessings! “Your Love Never Fails”
Vicky
(1-3) Paul, 90 Days in His Journey of Faith/Beth Moore/B & H Publishing
