Pastor Brad Bergman
Strength to Keep Going
Do you ever feel like quitting?
I recently read an article that said 71% of Canadian workers are considering leaving their current jobs within the first year and that, overall, Canadians are becoming more stressed, dissatisfied, and unmotivated each year. I’m sure there are various reasons behind this trend, but I think most of us can relate to the feeling of not wanting to go on.
I remember having that feeling one night when I was 19. Back then, I was the night manager of a casual dining restaurant. I was responsible for every steak, pasta dish, and appetizer being perfectly cooked on time.
It was New Year’s Eve, and we were short-staffed; two people called in sick, and the entire restaurant was packed. Of course, the kitchen couldn’t keep up with the orders coming in. The printer that gives the kitchen the orders continued printing for three hours straight. That night, I was carrying the weight of the customers and the server’s frustration. Hours in, I remember thinking, “Is this amount of stress really worth $9.55 an hour?” I had never wanted to quit anything more than in that moment. I imagined simply stopping what I was doing, methodically taking off my apron, and walking away from the disgruntled staff. The menacing sounds of the kitchen printer would finally grow fainter with my every step.
I’m sure that the Apostle Paul also had feelings of frustration. This year, our church has been going through the book of Acts, and we see a historical account and a powerful example of how Paul faced tremendous hardship and adversity with faith and determination.
Paul says in Acts 20:22-23:
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that prison and hardships are facing me.”
Paul willingly kept pressing forward, proclaiming the Gospel even though he knew he would experience pain and persecution. What gave him the strength and courage to keep going?
First of all:
- Paul understood his purpose.
Paul goes on to say in verse 24:
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Earlier in the Chapter, we find Paul preaching a really long sermon. He was preaching for so long that people were getting a bit sleepy around midnight.
“Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”
Paul didn’t even let a potential tragedy hold him back from preaching some more!
“Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.”
You can do much more than you think when you have a purpose. I have witnessed the incredible strength of my wife giving birth to my four sons. The only thing that enabled her to push through the pain was because there was a purpose on the other side of the suffering. This promise of holding her newborn son gave her the strength to keep going even though she felt like giving up. Purpose will give you passion and perseverance. Paul knew his calling was to keep spreading the good news, which gave him the courage to keep moving forward.
- Paul found his strength in God.
But Paul didn’t look within himself for this kind of strength. Like all of us, Paul knew his only abilities were limited, but he knew he could tap into a limitless power source. He writes about the power in his letter to the church in Ephesus:
“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead, and I seated him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Notice how Paul says that this power isn’t only for him. It’s for all of us who believe in Him. You can pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a greater understanding and revelation of this truth and spend time meditating on God’s promises found in His Word.
- Paul didn’t go alone.
I don’t think that we can overestimate the power of community. Paul demonstrated this by always travelling with someone else, like Barnabas and Silas. He fostered and prioritized relationships wherever he went by establishing communities of believers.
We know that loneliness affects not only mental health but physical health as well. Living in isolation is worse for your health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Studies show that chronic loneliness is linked to a weakened immune system, cardiovascular diseases, decreased life expectancy and overall quality of life.
Vancouver is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, but it suffers from so much loneliness and isolation. The answer to the problem is the church. That’s why we spend so much time emphasizing the need to join one of our small groups. You need to surround yourself with spiritually healthy people to be healthy yourself. Paul knew that besides his companions, he had people regularly praying for him. This gave him the strength to keep going and it can do the same for you. It would be such a tragedy if you regularly came to church and no one ever prayed for you!
Paul faced more frustration and hardship than we will probably ever face in our lives, but we can learn from his example. Because he understood his purpose, found strength in God, and didn’t go alone, Paul was able to write these words near the end of his life:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” — 2 Timothy 4:7-8
My hope and prayer is that at the end of our lives, every one of us can also say these words.