Don’t Lose Heart
Posted on June 5, 2019 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters
“Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, We do not lose heart.” — 2nd Corinthians 4:1
Some of the best advice I received as a new believer is to pace myself, the Christian life isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. The virtues of the Christian faith are required for a life of devotion to the Lord and imperative if we want to maintain a fruitful life. This idea of maintenance can seem very “works oriented” but it’s really a matter of keeping ourselves out of the way.
It would appear that our intuitions are geared to jump ahead, take advantage and give in to our anxieties to position ourselves for gain. Advantage is an exhausting achievement that comes natural to most of us. Vying for position in order to make ourselves prosper and gain over others. In 2nd Corinthians Paul is going against the notion that trying to live according to the law will exhaust you and eventually cause you to lose heart.
Most of us will never be accused of trying to live by the Mosaic Law but we can create our own standards to try and add to our Christian faith. I do believe for some of us there needs to be extra restraints and safeguards put in place because of some probable behavior. Adding parameters has been effective in my life because of an addictive personality. These extra safeguards are what I call an addendum but must never be applied to everyone.
There are exhausting endeavors that we sometimes get entangled with that where never our burden to carry. The premise of “Do not lose heart” is to maintain a lifestyle of living by the grace of God, always putting to death the things that weigh us down and make us ineffective.
Paul brings a distinct comparison to bring an important truth, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” He compares our flesh to “earthen vessels” or “clay pots”, or “cracked pots” and reminds us of the treasure inside, the excellence of the power of God and not ourselves. This direct distinction of Spirit vs flesh is key if we are going to run with endurance the race before us. He goes on to expose the inevitable circumstances that will try to steal our joy and exhaust us, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body”.
Vying for advantage and trying to position ourselves will result in fatigue and failure. The battle belongs to the Lord, let’s walk in it, Amen!
Written By Rob Russomano: Rob Russomano is married to Terri, and serves with her as full time staff members. He is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can contact him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org.
The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 1-2, Matthew 20:17-34| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here
Think About This: “Do not be lazy. Run each day’s race with all your might, so that at the end you will receive the victory wreath from God. Keep on running even when you have had a fall. The victory wreath is won by him who does not stay down, but always gets up again, grasps the banner of faith and keeps on running in the assurance that Jesus is Victor.” – Basilea Schlink
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. – Galatians 3:24
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.
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