Never Give Up

Keith Starcher
DayStar Consulting, Inc.

Winston Churchill delivered a commencement speech on October 9, 1941, to the boys at his old private school.  He stood behind the podium, faced his youthful audience and said:

“Never give in—never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or pretty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.  Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” 

That was it.  Speech ended, he sat down. 

His words have been used in various contexts these past six decades to encourage men and women to carry on, to be persistent, to keep on trying in the face of adversity.

Today, let each of us in the marketplace allow these words to sink in to our innermost being and lodge there, providing us with a reminder that, as Christians in the marketplace, we serve more than our customers, more than our employees, more than our financiers.  We serve the LORD of the universe Who has called us to the marketplace for reasons that extend well beyond ourselves and our companies’ circumstances.

Reasons to Give Up

“Oh, you remark, that’s easy to say ‘Don’t give up,’ but you don’t know my circumstances.”  You are right.  I don’t know your particular circumstances, but I might be able to hazard a guess as to why you are contemplating “throwing in the towel.”  I wonder if it might be due to adverse:

Finances

Either you’ve never reached any plateau of what you would consider financial success or you’ve seen some measure of financial success and it’s now fading away.  Job in the Bible would fit in the latter category.  Things had been going quite well for Job until one day it quite literally all went away.  In one day he lost his financial security and his children.  His wife advised Job to “curse God and die.”  And here’s the kicker.  Job was a righteous man before God.  He was doing all the right things and yet…  If anyone seemed to have the right to “give in,” it was Job.  But he chose not to do that.  “If He slays me, yet will I trust Him.”  I’ve sometimes criticized Job for his words and his arguing with God.  But I know I could not have passed through the fires as he did and come out “not giving up.”  Somehow, you and I must develop such a deep-seated trust in Christ, that when everything around us shouts, “Don’t trust Him!”—we still do.  Don’t give up on Christ.

Relationships

Who among us hasn’t been “burned” once or twice by those we have trusted?  Family, friends, preachers, employees, vendors, customers, government officials—so many have disappointed and even hurt us.  And we become jaded.  “Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice…”  Joseph, from the Old Testament (remember, the one with the multi-colored coat), certainly provides an example of someone who was constantly let down (and many times attacked) by others.  Consider his brothers who sold him into slavery, his master’s wife who lied about Joseph’s character, the butler who forgot to mention Joseph’s kindness to the Pharaoh—the list goes on and on.  And yet, what reaction do we see from Joseph?  He continued to trust God and perform with excellence.  The outcome—God was able to accomplish great things for an entire country because Joseph would “not give up.”

Now What?

So how do you in the 21^st Century keep fighting the good fight when faced with discouraging circumstances and naysayers?  What I have to recommend is not difficult, but it is not easy either. 

·        Consider your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Do you have one?  If not, remember:

·        God desires a personal relationship with us (think of the Garden of Eden)

·        We messed things up (think of the Garden of Eden)

·        God sent His Son to take the punishment for our sin (think of the Cross)

·        By repenting of our sins and receiving Christ as our personal LORD and Savior, we can have eternal life—starting right now.

·        Assuming you have a personal relationship with Christ, remember:

·        Unconfessed sin adversely affects that relationship

·        Trust and obedience positively affects that relationship

Once you are sure of the vitality of your relationship with Christ, seek His help through reading His Word, through prayer, and through seeking wise counsel from fellow Christians in the marketplace.  We are all in this together.  Get the prayer support you need.  Get the counsel you need.  Allow God to humble you in these circumstances and seek His will as you endure and overcome your present plight for His glory. 

As a Christian in the marketplace, your role is too vital, your responsibilities are too great to even think about giving up.

“Never give in—never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or pretty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.  Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” 

Keith

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