Giving Up

Could there ever be a Christian who is ready to give up on God? Could a Christian become so frustrated with life that he decides living for God is no longer worth it? Could a believer become so disillusioned and disappointed that he decides to stop trying? Could he stop fighting the battle and determine just to wait for heaven when everything will finally be put right?

The questions are rhetorical. It might be more reasonable to wonder if there are any believers who have never reached such a point in their lives. If such discouragement has not been part of a believer's own life, he has certainly seen it in the lives of others. Sadly, he has probably seen people who have followed through on their frustration and who really have abandoned any serious pursuit of Christianity.

I can think of three avenues that might lead to such an action. First is the fear or threat of persecution, especially when that persecution is prolonged. This happened to Peter; when Jesus was seized and tried, Peter denied knowing and being a follower of Jesus. The other disciples scattered and weren't even in the picture. Thankfully, within a short time these men were stabilized and went on to serve God boldly.

A second possibility involves the trials of life, especially when they are multiplied. Elijah illustrates this. He faced opposition from the king and queen, danger to his life, journeys and deprivation, and hardness of heart from the people who should have joined him in standing for truth. Even after the great victory on Mt. Carmel, renewed threats caused Elijah to flee in fear and, in his frustration, desire to die. God ministered to Elijah, delivering him from his discouragement and bringing him back to usefulness.

The third possibility is simply the weakness of the flesh. A believer can want to do the right thing and can devote years to pursuing God and growing in sanctification, only to find himself struggling (seemingly) just as much as he ever did. Paul expressed this sentiment in Romans 7. He earnestly wanted to do right, but found himself doing wrong instead. Paul kept his struggle from leading to giving up by focusing on the power of God to give him victory.

In any of these scenarios, a believer could become discouraged to the point of wanting to give up. In addition to wondering if living for God is worth it, he might also wonder if it is even possible. One of the most frustrating things known to man is to give devoted effort to some project, to do his very best, to persevere through obstacles, and then to find that he still fails. It is devastating to realize that one's efforts are ineffective and that he will fail no matter how hard he tries. The natural result of such a realization is to stop trying.

This cannot be the correct conclusion. Before I present the right conclusion, I want to acknowledge some truth about our world. This earth is a fallen planet that is filled with broken people. The earth itself has faced the effects of God's judgment, its productivity having been reduced and being plagued by thorns. The earth is so encumbered and oppressed that it groans under the effect (Romans 8:22).

Fallen people compound the problem. Job's friend declares the truth that man is born to trouble (Job 5:7). Trouble is simply a reality of life. Whether due to one's own actions, the sinfulness of others, or the universal depravity of mankind, this life is filled with trouble. There are some positives along the way, but to some extent this life will always be discouraging because it falls so short of what God has designed. Anyone who looks at this life will see disappointment, pain, and discouragement.

The answer then is to not focus on this life. The focus instead must be on the eternal. If this life were everything, Christians would indeed be miserable (I Corinthians 15:19). Rather than enjoying with abandonment what pleasure there is in this world, Christians would be disciplining and restraining themselves - would be sacrificing - for nothing. Living that way, however, is worth it because there is a world to come. Peter refers to the believer's joy in hoping for the inheritance of heaven even while he faces multiplied trials "for a little while" on this earth (I Peter 1:6).

Abraham was a great example of a saint whose focus was on the eternal rather than the temporal. Hebrews 11:8-16 describes Abraham's eternal view in the midst of a life of challenges. If Abraham's focus had been on this earth, he would not have continued wandering and living in tents. He would have given that up and would have returned to his homeland. His gaze, however, was on a heavenly and eternal city. He saw a promise to come that made every trouble on this broken earth to be worthwhile.

This life and its struggles are so brief that they are nothing compared to eternity. They are actually trivial in comparison to the glories to come. No source of frustration - persecution, trials, personal failure - should be enough to stop a believer from following God. Because focusing on those challenges could cause a believer to turn back, the focus must be kept on the eternal. Like Abraham, the believer must seek a city whose builder and maker is God; he must remind himself that he is merely a pilgrim who is passing through this world on his way to a far better world to come.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18 (NASB)