Refuse (Part 5)

Judas.  Demas.  Diotrophes.  New Testament characters with one thing in common:  They started to serve God, but did not finish well.  They abandoned their faith and aborted their spiritual destinies.

Then there are also men who failed at some point, but still finished well:  Moses, David, Jonah,  Peter, and John Mark.

The difference between those who fulfilled their divine destinies and those who did not was perseverance.  Those who succeeded set their hearts and minds to finish their course, no matter what the cost.  They begin with the end in mind.  They refused to give up.  If they fell down, they got back up again. 

The story is told of a 19th century violinist named Nicolo Paganini.  He was playing before a  packed house, when one of his violin strings snapped.  He continued to play, improvising beautifully.  A second string broke.  Then a third.  Three limp strings dangled from the violin, but the master performer completed the difficult composition on one remaining string.  The audience jumped to their feet filling the hall with shouts of  "Bravo, Bravo".  This is the kind of perseverance you will need in order to fulfill your destiny.

Another example is a man named Abraham who had quite a record of failure: At age 22 he failed in business.  He ran for the position of United States legislator at age 23 and was defeated.  He failed against in business at age 24.  He had a nervous breakdown at age 27.  He ran for speaker of the house at age 29 and was defeated.  Subsequent defeats followed as he ran for elector and congress--three times--the senate twice, and vice president.  But at age 51, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States and fulfilled his divine destiny.  He led the nation States through one of the darkest periods of its history.

Then there was the minister whose journal recorded his repeated failures: 

-Preached at St. Anne's and was asked never to return. 

-Preached at St John's and the deacons said,  "Get out and stay out!" 

-Preached at St Jude's and couldn't go back there either. 

-Preached by the highway and was kicked off the street. 

-Preached in a meadow and was chased out because someone turned a bull lose during the service. 

-Sunday night I preached in a pasture and 10,000 people came to hear me.

That man was John Wesley, who became one of the most revered ministers of all times.

To fulfill your divine destiny, you must refuse to give up and develop within you the spirit of a finisher!

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"