Don't give up

TODAY'S READING: 2 Timothy 2:1-13
OK, I have done a pretty good job of staying away from sports analogies, but today it is unavoidable. This morning I met Ben Roethlisberger. Yes, you read that right. (I have the autographed football and picture to prove it.) Anyway, back to my message today. When I look at Ben's career in the playoffs, it reminds me of what Paul write about in today's reading.
I think that Paul's bottom line is this...don't give up! Don't ever give up. Times will be tough. You will face struggles. But no matter what comes your way, stay faithful to God.
You may ask, what does that have to do with Ben. Well, here is my analogy. Last season Ben played horribly in the playoffs. The first win was lucky and the loss was deserved. At that point Ben could have just said "I give up" and his career could have gone downhill. Rather, he decided to come back, trust in his coaches, and you see where he is today.
In our walk with Jesus we will undoubtably have bad seasons in life. There will be times we feel like we keep getting knocked down. Paul's message to Timothy is to keep getting up and trust in God.
Even when we feel like giving up, God never will.
When we want to stay down, God reaches out to pick us up.
If your wisdom and abilities seem to fall short, God is there to show us a better way.
So if you need an modern example of what can happen when we never give up, look at Big Ben. He is probably not the best example and I realize football is just a sport, but his comeback has been impressive.
Just remember that no matter how much or little faith you have in God, God will always be faithful to you. If we endure through good times and bad, we will be with God forever. And that is far better than any Super Bowl victory.

shine!
Jason