Don't Give Up by David Jeremiah

Thursday, June 2 Don’t Give Up Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. Acts 27:20 Recommended Reading Acts 27:20-36 One morning last year—it was 3:20 a.m.—actor Chris Pratt was riding through Atlanta following eighty hours of exhaustive filming on a movie. Looking over the darkened streets, he felt burdened for the downtrodden. Pratt, who professes Christ, wrote a note on Instagram. He recalled the many years when he had to “hustle hard and go hungry. I had to eat sardines and figure out how to get gas money,” he said. “Don’t give up.” Pratt credits his inspiration to an encounter outside a liquor store when he was 19. A stranger stopped him, told him about Christ, and gave him a message that changed his life. When you’re eating sardines and seeing meager results, and when neither sun nor stars appear for many days, it’s easy to give up. In the story of the storm in Acts 27, even the seasoned sailors—even the writer, Luke!—gave up. But God had not given up, and He was stronger than the storm. When discouragement begins to creep into your life, look to Christ and don’t give up. He will keep you from sinking. His we are by creation, for He made us; by preservation, for He maintains us; by redemption, for He bought us. We are more His than our own. Matthew Henry