How often do we start moving in one direction, face opposition and then quit? You had a great idea, you had tremendous passion, but once the real work came, you wore yourself out! It happens all the time to even the strongest willed people. They give up right before the good stuff is about to happen.
I have a good friend of mine who jumps from idea to idea trying to become a millionaire. He wants the fastest path to riches. He gets all excited about his latest idea but as soon as it becomes work, he stops, and looks for “a better way”. This is a sure-fire way to fail… You have to constantly water your seeds! You have to prepare and work your fields for the seeds to take, to grow strong roots, and produce crops. You can’t just go around scattering seeds hoping something will grow. Farmers don’t operate businesses that way, why would you expect your finances or business ideas to work any differently.
I have heard that to become “an overnight success” it takes at least two years! You grind it out, put blood, sweat, and tears in to it, and then just maybe it may lead to something worthwhile. But quitting? It’s not an option! Too often people quit right before their big break was about to take place. They miss the blessings God had in store…
What if Columbus gave up?
Just think about this: Christopher Columbus two days before he sighted land had a crew that was fed up, sick, and desperately wanted to turn back.
On October 10, 1492, Columbus’ journal read:
“Here the people could stand it no longer and complained of the long voyage; but the Admiral cheered them as best he could, holding out good hope of the advantages they would have. He added that it was useless to complain. He had come to the Indies, and so had to continue until he found them, with the help of our Lord.”
We know what happened two days later: They found America!
Too many Christians give to God and expect Him to answer immediately! In other words “I just tithed…now bless me!” Yet God doesn’t work that way. First off, He typically won’t bless you if you aren’t positioning yourself for blessings. What I mean is He won’t just send money from heaven. You have to work for it and then He can bless those efforts!
Secondly, it happens in His time, not ours! Often He is doing us a favor by teaching us powerful lessons that will transform our minds and lives. Through pain there is gain and growth. He uses our failures and tribulations to strengthen our faith and prepare us for the better days ahead.
Yeah…why are so many Christians broke?
I just spoke to Chris Kidd. He asked a powerful question to me: “why are so many Christians broke?” Wow! It hits you right between the eyes! His question got me thinking…
I mean if we serve the Creator of life, the abundant provider of everything, the original author of “hope and change” then why are so many in the body of Christ:
- Dead broke?
- Deep in debt?
- Have little or no savings?
- Have no plans for the future?
God calls us to rise above mediocrity and bring glory to Him. How can we help others when we need help? How can we attract others to Christ when we are a mess? It’s not about perfection, but it is about establishing habits and persevering for His cause.
So I ask you:
- What have you given up on?
- What dream have you left behind?
- What is holding you back from the success God has in store for you?
- I bet you know exactly what it is, but the real question is what are you going to do about it?
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
What an inspiring article! Through failures, hard work and perseverance, successes are reached. God is allowed to work only after you allow him to.
Keep up the great work! I really enjoyed this inspiring article!
This is a very good article. You hit a great point that many people don’t realize, or may just choose not to accept.
“He typically won’t bless you if you aren’t positioning yourself for blessings. What I mean is He won’t just send money from heaven. You have to work for it and then He can bless those efforts!”
This is wisdom indeed. Great post.
@bibledebt: thanks for the encouragement!
@Justin: you are so right! Too many people pray for miracles instead of opportunities. Yes, God is still in the miracle business but often He uses opportunities to bless us…
You’ve actually hit on two separate issues. One is financial faithfulness, the other is God’s provision. We are called to be faithful even if and when God doesn’t “bless” us with abundance. That is the witness to the world, not when we have tons to work with or give away, just when we trust Him and are faithful to do the work He has set before us. It’s too easy to say we lack because of some sort of negligence. That’s not always the case, though here in the States it’s quite common. I suppose the folks you deal with professionally fall into that trap fairly often, but be careful not to paint everyone with the same brush. The working poor would not travel in your circles or pay for your counsel. Jesus said, ‘The poor you will have with you always” and the example of the early church shows the care for those in need in the body by those who had abundance. On the other hand your challenge to work hard should not be dismissed. That point is well taken. If a man will not work neither let him eat.
Very well written and to the point. I think we all know someone who has great talent but does not have the perseverance to keep going to succeed. I am sure we can all come up with something for ourself also. Success takes hard work, even in daily living. God does not want us to be lazy dependent’s.
Thanks for the post.
Bryan Sr
I feel sorry for people who’s main goal is life is to become rich. What a waste. Nothing wrong with having lots of money. Just don’t make that your main goal in life. God does not want us to be broke, but being rich is not his plan either.
Well…yesterday I wasn’t feeling as cheerful as I know I should. Though giving up is not an option (at least for me), this doesn’t stop the devil from planting seeds of doubt in your mind.
Today, when I woke up…I checked my email and saw in the subject, “Don’t Give Up”. I just want to thank you for reminding me of this because I do have passions, dreams and etc and sometimes although God shows you a glips of what’s in store for you….I will admit, from the wilderness to the promise land is where you learn to trust God in the mist of your trials and tribulations.
To God be all the glory. God bless you.
@ Olivia: I totally agree there are people who are broke (out of money but can get out of their situation) and those who are poor (need a hand due to limited resources – where they live or their health etc). God has the biggest heart for those who cannot help themselves. This message was to those who are broke and waiting for God to bail themselves out without taking steps in the right direction. Those who have given up. Through Christ there is always hope!
@Brian SR.,
Thanks for your comments. We serve a mighty BIG God who can help take us places we could never get to alone. He blesses us but often is waiting for us to seize the opportunities He is providing.
@Arthur: I agree the goal in life should never be to “just get rich”. I do however strongly believe that if we have the proper attitude toward money and God chooses to bless us, we have a responsibility to use the wealth For His kingdom. More money allows us to help further God’s work.
@Christian Encouragement and Inspiration: Glad the Lord used me to help provide you the encouragement you need. He works that way! He uses fellow Believers to help build one another up and help defeat the devil’s “seeds of doubt”. May He abundantly bless you!
I think too often we want things to happen in our own time as you mentioned in the post. Even though we may not see our harvest sprouting from the ground, we want to dig up our seed just to make sure there’s something there! I think this is also about having faith…faith in what we cannot see. Believing without seeing.
I am Christian, but I don’t get this post at all.
Yeah…why are so many Christians broke?
Christians make up over 75% of the United States what kind of statement/question is it? If the US has 300 Million people that means there are 225,000,000 Christians living in the United States. You are going to tell me most of them (most being 51%) are poor? And what do you consider poor as compared to other 3rd world countries. I’d rather be poor in the US than poor in Egypt.
I agree with your message about how one should have a plan and act, but really what does that question have to do with anything
@evan Thanks for your question. I just wanted to clarify: I didn’t write why are so many Christians “poor”, I wrote the word “broke”. There is a major difference. Broke is a temporary state often caused by overspending, a lack of income, or both… This means they typically owe more than they own. Poor on the otherhand, often is a condition caused by a number of factors including upbringing, geographic location, health, mental capacity etc. With this question I was simply asking why are so many Christians poor stewards of the wealth God entrusts to them? Sadly, most Christian’s finances look no different than unbelievers and this shouldn’t be the case.
@ Kristine: so true. God always has one of three answers for our prayers: yes, no, and not now. Often we mistake “not now” for “no” probably because we live in such an instant gratification society. We want it now rather than working for it. God can bless us any time He chooses. However, I believe He lets us go through the trials and tribulations to draw us closer to Him. We also will appreciate the blessings more after much hard work!
Again, Jay, I don’t mean disrespect and I really do like the stuff you write, but when you say,
“Christians poor stewards of the wealth God entrusts to them? Sadly, most Christian’s finances look no different than unbelievers and this shouldn’t be the case.”
It seems like you are assuming Christians (all 225,000,000 in this Country) SHOULD have some sort of divine knowledge which makes them better than then an atheist or non-believer when it comes to money matters.
So once again, I just don’t get it. Regardless excellent work helping everyone out!
@Evan We as Christ followers have a responsibility to handle money responsibly. If we truly believe God owns everything, we should handle our money differently than unbelievers. His Word clearly instructs us to limit debt, maximize what He provides, to give joyfully, and save dilligently (to name a few). We do have divine knowledge through His Word. The trouble is the majority of Americans may claim to be Christian (not sure it’s as high as the 75 percent number you shared) but are most of them truly following Christ and living out His Word? That my friend is what I’m talking about…
A helpful book in this regard is Larry Burkett’s “Using Your Money Wisely”. Not sure if it’s still in print. Burkett deals with heart attitudes from the scriptures and puts financial concepts into plain english. One thing you just touched on Jay, is the idea that it’s not really our money, but God’s, and we are only His managers.
I remember a quote from Mother Theresa which says “God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try”…God has something in store for us but we should work hard for it and we should not give up. There are reasons why things happen and perhaps this is to prepare for something bigger, something we can handle. Being rich doesn’t mean you succeed in life, personally it means finally being content with what God has given you, able to share what you have and peacefully sleeping in my bed.
Anther great and inspiration article.
@Oliva: I love Larry Burkett’s books. Though they weren’t written recently the content is timeless! Godly wisdom is always relevant!
@Christiana: great perspective. Thanks for your feedback and comments. Love the Mother Theresa quote. She truly got the “put God first” principles!
I’ve been reading in Proverbs lately and it seems that a lot that God has to say to us about money is to be wise and diligent in our labor. I’ve been working hard to make these two things a priority in my job and in my extra efforts to earn other income. “You have to pay your dues” is how I’ve heard the first two years described.
Anything worth having is worth working for. If your friend really wanted to be rich he needs to recheck his priorities because he wants money, not wealth and that is going to have to change first.
@ Clayton: Thanks for sharing! Proverbs is such a great source of wisdom for many of our problems and solutions. I agree with your analysis of my friend. I’ve told him the same thing at least 3-4 times but he’s so stubborn and tries to remain in control. He often neglects to get out of God’s way to let Him work…
Hey Jay,
I just stopped by to read some of the comments. There’s been some good comments, and I thought you handled the responses great as well. It seems like this is a hot topic. That is good! I will let you know when my book on this is out. It should be later this year. Keep up the good work.
I cannot even begin to tell you how pefect the timing was in finding this article. I needed this in the worst way.
My middle name was, “i’m done”. I can relate to almost everything in the article. Sad, but true. I have had a difficult life, but I do have a lot of great dreams that have been thwarted by naysayers throughout my life, and I have let it get the best of me.
About 6 months ago i had a new dream for something Big, way out of my league, clearly not of my comfort zone. It took me to a new level of faith. Which was great for a while, then began the fear, the fear of everything!
I couldn’t get past feelings of, ” well God, you gave me this dream and where are you? I don’t know what to do! I’m over my head on this and I have no idea of what i’m doing, i’m broke, divorced, pretty much homeless and i am trusting you and where are you?!” So after that temper tantrum i had for… days, feeling sorry for myself, staying in my room not doing anything toward my dreams, basically giving up, again, i got over myself and started searching on line for something to kick me in the rear to STOP this downward spiral. I came accross this article, which is really a message sent from God, because all I can do now is laugh!
I feel back on track and even better.
What happens when we get to that dark place, if not careful, you can stay there for a long time and that’s where the danger comes in. Not only are you giving up on yourself, but you let others down, too. Your kids, parents, siblings who are rooting for you and when you quit, what a bad and sad example of faith that is and most important, it causes others not to have faith in God. And that is not good.
So, thank you! Thank you so much!
How to you offer christianadvise to someone who owes you money for services and cannot pay. It is a domino effect as I will cetainly lose more money and neglect my responsibilities by not collecting. I am in no condition to offer forebearance as the bible says, so what consulation can I offer to make them understand I don’t wish the anxiety I feel on anyone.
A thought to Ric. I’m really sorry for the tight spot you’re in. Could the person make payments towards the debt? What can they pay you now, and what can they guarantee on a monthly basis? I mean you have to live too. Perhaps a written agreement would be helpful. If they have any big assets perhaps they should sell them now to pay what they owe. Perhaps those assets can be used as collaterol for the debt. If they balk at the suggestions maybe just ask them straight up if they intend to honor their word. Sadly I’ve encountered several professing believers who have not. A written agreement might helped.
Amen!
This is very inspiring Jay. I like the way you made the ref. to Columbus.
Two thumbs up!