Scripture
Gideon and his three hundred man had had to cross the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites.
~Judges 8:4, NET
Quote
Never, never, never give up! The snail, by perseverance made it to the ark.
~Churchill/Spurgeon
Although I have no real desire to go back, there are three years of my life that I would like to live over. I admit, it is probably a foolish idea. I grew up wanting to be athlete. I loved basketball, baseball and football. There was no baseball in school but we did have basketball, football and track. They cut me in basketball in the 10th grade and would not allow me to try out again. They refused to allow me to even try out for track and I spent my sophomore and Junior year on the suicide squad in football. Then as a senior, in the middle of the year, they took my gold shirt {travel squad} and gave me back a white shirt, suicide squad Myself and five other seniors. Only one problem, they wouldn’t allow us to play on the suicide squad in practice. When the drills were over, we were done. I begged an assistant to let us into a scrimmage and I and the other five who had been demoted infiltrated the suicide squad. The first team got the ball on the 10 yard line and had four downs to score. After holding them twice in a row, our infamous head coach came strait at me, grabbed my face mask and began screaming “get off this field.” He found the other five also. He wanted us to quit and we all knew it. We had made up our minds that we would not accommodate him and we didn’t. It was embarrassing for him but one of the very few moments of glory for us. The former head coach was there that day, I remember hearing him say, “Larry, this should tell you something.” The only thing I have to be proud of about those days is: I didn’t quit.
Perhaps this happened for a reason, one that I have had a very difficult time accepting. Perhaps God was conditioning me for the ministry. I don’t know about that but one thing I do know, the LORD’s work, especially warfare can be exhausting and we are tempted to quit. Pursuing the enemy is not for sissies. Gideon and his three hundred men were totally exhausted and were getting no help for the fearful Israelites. Gideon would have been justified had he thrown up his hands and quit. He must have been tempted, “If these cowardly Israelites refuse to help, why am I risking my neck. I quit, let them fight their own battles.” He could have quit but he didn’t.
George Washington could have quit at Valley Forge. Who would have blamed him? He had disloyal officers on one side, and a fighting group of politicians on the other. His soldiers were tired, hungry, freezing, sick and were not getting paid. Trump could quit after all he has been through, who could blame him? Paul could have quit; more importantly, Jesus could have quit. He didn’t have to go to a cross, He choose to. Dying on the cross didn’t make Him the Son of God. He was the great I AM who choose to sacrifice Himself.
You may be tired of the nightly news and the incessant lies of the left. You maybe weary of sin and the sorrow that accompanies it or even of your own noxious depravity. You may be sick and tired of evil triumphing over good. You may be fed up with Jesus be defamed, blasphemed and unappreciated BUT you can’t quit. He didn’t quit on us and we aren’t quitting on Him. I know you are weary but suck it up: we have a river to cross and an enemy to pursue and we aren’t quitting till we get through.
Thanks for the prayers yesterday. The LORD made His will known. Continue to remember Larry Slatter and Thomas Pickens in Birmingham and Sandra Sharp in Priceville. LORD willing, Joe David and I will go to B’town tomorrow. We are trying to figure the gas thing out. Have a great day. Thanks for reading the blog.