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May 23, 2026 06:00am

On Giving Up

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If there ever was a man who should have just given up, it was the Apostle Paul. His years were filled with intense problems and persecution. Look at the litany of difficulties he endured.

8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4)

Look at the words he uses (and he was prone to reality, not exaggeration).

afflicted in every way
perplexed
persecuted
struck down
always carrying the death of Jesus in our body
always begin given over to death
death works in us.

Pretty sad testimony, right? But that’s not the end of the story. Each of those maladies is followed by a statement of deliverance and victory. Paul faced his trials head-on, knowing there was no sugar-coating that would help. His answer to his afflictions was the power of God in Him that would sustain and lift and keep him. And the life of God in and through Him that continually gave him a higher purpose, i.e., the privilege of encouraging and helping others with God’s life. So, here was his great declaration:

Therefore, we do not give up. (2 Cor 4:16)

That’s it. Bottom line.

DAD

I once was talking to my aging dad who was in some despair at 96 or so, for he was losing his hearing, balance, memory, etc. Life had been reduced to just a few things, none of which were all that enjoyable. He was so ready to go on to heaven. If you watch someone you love like that or you ARE someone like that, you can understand. Old age is the descent that makes us ready for heaven.

I looked at Dad that day and said simply, “Dad, God knows the exact day you’re going to die, and He must have purposes in His timing. Why don’t you just live until you die?” He smiled and nodded his head … and did. His final years were hard for him, but a cherished blessing for us.

As I face my own set of growing maladies, my advice seems rather trite now, but still accurate. We must realize we can face each day with God’s power and purpose. Nothing else will help us, and His grace is quite sufficient. In fact, Paul said this “momentary light affliction” (what a perspective) was “producing an eternal weight of glory” (what a statement of faith). And, whatever the sacrifice, He is worthy of it all in a million lifetimes.

By His grace, we can declare it each morning: “I will not give up.” Why not start right now?