Keep On Keeping' On

Dear Friends,

When I was in high school, I had a t-shirt that said, “Keep On Keepin’ On”. I’m not sure where the phrase came from, I just remember it was a popular one at the time - and so I was proud to wear the shirt.

It wasn’t until I got serious about my faith however, that I began to understand the message behind that shirt: we need to persevere. The apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 4:15-17, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” In other words, in our Christian walk, we need to keep on keepin’ on.

Of course, that’s easier said than done, because life is full of challenges, setbacks, hurts, and disappointments. And all-too-often, quitting seems like the easiest option. But quitting in our walk with God never leads to good stuff. Instead, it allows the enemy to stop our process of transformation. That’s why, as Christians, we need to remember that God calls us to a life of faithfulness. He calls us to a life of continuing in the process of transformation that He’s placed us in.

The truth is, God is more interested in what we’re becoming than what’s happening to us. It’s not that He doesn’t hurt with us, or understand our struggles. It’s just that He wants to use those difficult things to make us into the people He’s calling us to be. That’s why He often allows trials, troubles, tribulations, and problems in our life - to teach us diligence, determination, and character. So if we’re facing difficult things, we need to remember that truth - and then, we need to persevere in faithfulness. Galatians 6:9 puts it beautifully, as it encourages us to, “not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”.

So today, let’s keep on keepin’ on. Let’s face the challenges in front of us with the knowledge that God can take us through them - and that He will use them for our good - and for His glory.

Amen?

Daniel