It’s kind of funny. I don’t remember any of the reading stories in the book and I don’t remember any other text books from grade school, but that title, Never Give Up, is still with me today, forty plus years after second grade in Windsor, Wisconsin. It might be because of the trials I had in adjusting to a new elementary school, it might be a result of the frustrations my persistent second grade teacher had with a peculiarly shy little boy that could and should do better, or it might be because that simple three word advice is just so important in life.
Think of a job you have to get done. The harder the job, the more important the advice is to “never give up.” Think of a tough situation with a family member or neighbor. The more precious that relationship, the more important the advice is to “never give up.” Think of facing the challenges of education, whether it is learning to spell in second grade or learning to speak persuasively in college. The more necessary the learning experience, the more important the advice is to “never give up.” Think of rebuilding after a disaster. The greater the loss, the more important the advice is to “never give up.” Think of God. God is most important. We should “never give up” when it comes to living for God.
We know this, but we constantly find ourselves in situations where a friend, a neighbor, a loved one, a relative, or even strangers want nothing to do with God. What then? Think about some situations you might have been involved in. Perhaps you invited your neighbor to church once and they said no. What did you do next? You probably gave up. Or you might have invited your friend to come to Bible study twice and he said no. What did you do next? You probably gave up. Or you may have passed out gospel tracts on a Sunday afternoon to strangers and got zero response. What did you do next? Again, you probably gave up. It is hard to share the love of Jesus with people that are close to us and it is hard to share Jesus with people who are not close to us. Do you want to know why that is? It is because Satan has had a long, discouraging rebellion against God and has decided for himself to “never give up.”
The Devil puts us to shame if you think about it. We quit asking our neighbor to come to church after one Sunday, but the Devil never gave up tempting that same neighbor with ball games, birthday parties, overtime, or luncheons the other 51 weeks of the year. We neglected to mention Bible study to our friend because they are always “too busy.” But guess what they are too busy doing? Chances are they are spending a lot more than one hour a week playing with the Devil on the television set or on the internet or plain old waisting time. And think about those gospel tracts you stopped passing out because of a poor response. The Devil gets big fat NO’s all the time too, but he does not quit. He adapts to the times and tries different approaches to tempt and lead others astray. And even though he is doomed to fail, he does a pretty good job at it, partly because he never gives up. Just imagine what God could do through you if you presented the victorious message of the gospel and made a promise to God and to your loved ones to “never give up.”
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season
we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9