Thursday, December 27, 2018

Don't Give Up on People

by Dr. Paul Chappell

Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.

2 Timothy 4:9-12

After being thrown out of school at age nine for throwing a desk at his teacher and being sent to juvenile detention at twelve after threatening to kill his mother and brother, the future seemed to hold little for Ryan Green. But there were people who believed in his potential and refused to give up on him. When he was exposed to the world of opera for the first time, a dream took root in Ryan's heart. He devoted himself to studying music and preparing his voice. He won several competitions and performed major roles in operas in concert halls around the world. Today, he is a member of the Vienna State Opera in Austria and continues to travel and sing in major roles.

As we work with people, we will face the temptation to give up—to decide that they are a hopeless case and there is no use spending any more time or energy or resources on trying to help them. But God does not give up on us, and we should not give up on others. Paul and Barnabas took Mark with them on their first missionary trip, but he abandoned their work at one point and went home. Later, Paul refused to take Mark with him because of that failure, which led to the breakdown of his long partnership with Barnabas. Yet, in the final years of his life, in his last letter to Timothy, Paul asked for Mark, because “he is profitable to me.” Barnabas never gave up on Mark, and it made a difference.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Do not give up on the people you are trying to help—a major change may be just around the corner.

CURRENT RADIO SERIES A Life of Purpose   CURRENT TV SERIES Home for the Holidays

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” Matthew 25:21 Awhile back, a Christian economist told me that in the church-at-large in America, 15 to 20 percent of the people give 90 percent of the money. Now, I’m sure that number varies from church to church, but the overall statistic is simply staggering! It’s always been incredible to me that so many people give so little, because when you and I come to know Christ as Savior and our lives are transformed, our love for Him ought to be so powerful that we say, “Lord, here is my life. Everything that I have belongs to You.” But instead, people say things like, “I thought just the 10 percent belongs to God.” Well, yes God owns the 10 percent, but He also owns the other 90 percent as well! When it comes to giving, it’s not just about giving a certain percentage and doing what you want with the rest. No, giving to God’s purposes ought to be one of your greatest joys, and you should give or spend every single penny for the glory of God. So whether you have a little or a lot, be faithful with what you do have so that one day you’ll hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”   NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE, GOD WANTS YOU TO BE FAITHFUL WITH THE RESOURCES HE’S GIVEN YOU. SO GIVE AND SPEND EVERY PENNY FOR HIS GLORY!