never...

"It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work [of telling his Good News to others], and so we never give up." 2 Corinthians 4:1

A number of years ago I read the following story about Sir Winston Churchill in Our Daily Bread. Churchill attended grade school at Harrow where he was in the lower third of his class and showed no particular potential. After he graduated he went on to university and eventually became famous.

On October 29, 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill went back to Harrow to hear the traditional songs he had sung there when a student and to address the student body. He was introduced as one of the greatest orators of all time. The students were told to take plenty of notes.

In those sobering days of World War II included in his address Sir Winston encouraged the boys to:

"Never give in. 

Never give in. 

Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. 

Never yield to force. 

Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

I'm certain that none of those students ever forgot that advice.

And that is God's advice and word to us. If we interpreted God's message to the Hebrew Christians fully, it would be: "God said, 'I will never, never, never, never, never [five times over] leave you or forsake you" or "I will never, not ever, not ever, leave you or forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5). This is the greatest reason why we, too, must never give up.

-dick innes