What if you just quit, stopped serving, don’t necessarily go back into the world of depravity and lust that you once lived, but just don’t spend all that time in the Word of God, stop praying about every little thing. Make some new friends, not with the wicked, evil people of course, but just with those that don’t spend all their time focused on the Lord. It’s not like you’re going to lose your salvation, or that God’s going to send some great judgment upon you, you aren’t fulfilling 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
And it’s not exactly quitting, its just cutting back a little.
Most of you just thought, “That’s not going to happen, I would never do that,” at least I would hope that would be your thoughts, so then, answer this question for yourself, have you seen growth in your life towards service to Christ lately? Are you still mostly in the world, or mostly in the Lord, because you can’t be both.
There was a time when there were groups of people that believed that any and all worldly possessions would cause a man to become worldly, in fact the Roman Catholic cult still professes this at their base. Have you by any chance looked at any of their churches lately? That’s called hypocrisy.
Worldly possessions can indeed become a stumbling block, whether they be materialistic items or the people in our lives, just ask Abraham about how he felt towards Isaac before and after the test on the mountaintop. (Gen. 22:1-12) But what if we leave all those behind, even when they are still in our possession, what if we have determined that they have no eternal value, that even those people in our lives mean less to us than our love for Christ, what then of our heart? “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” (Psalm 98:4) Does that mean when you still posses everything, or after its all been destroyed in the fire, when not even your friends, family and neighbors have a place for you, and you must sleep on the streets. Is that joyful noise based on happiness and contentment because you have all those things, or because He lives.
Job found out, the Son of man had no place to rest His head. Isn’t it interesting that Paul went and got a job making and repairing tents, but Christ with years of carpentry skills didn’t seek employment during His ministry? Is not the worker worthy of his wages, (1 Tim. 5:18) yet we are to “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33)
I have some news for you, if indeed you are a born-again believer, you can’t quit, you can try to run away like a lost sheep, but the Shephard will come and find you. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7) You can be as the prodigal son and attempt to flee back into the world, and the Lord because of His never-ending love for you will bring you to despondency, likely not only materialistically, but emotionally and Spiritually. He will break you so that He can remake you. The Most High does not suffer errant children, slaves to Jesus Christ are not allowed to rebel for very long.
We must, as the prodigal son did, “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17) And the Lord is more than happy to help us along that path.
Do not think your skills will save you from this chastisement. “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” (Prov. 16:9) The world, as Egypt did to those in the wilderness, is always calling, but if you have noticed, forty years later there wasn’t one person in all of them who was talking about going back to Egypt.
Time is not on your side my friends, its on God’s side, if serving is becoming a burden, ask the Lord for a break, not from Him, but to grow closer to Him, find your rest, and then return to the battle refreshed. That’s as close to quitting as we will ever be. “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” (Jer. 20:9)
