Never give up
* Never give up, things will get worse if you do so.
“For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you”. Isaiah 41:13
Forgiveness always gives a new beginning
* Never give up on your cat (or the pet you have, if you have one) when it has done another stupid mess and you wish to grab it by the neck, and throw it outside. Don’t give up on your wife or husband when you feel misunderstood or even betrayed. Forgiveness always gives a new beginning, as does repentance, because you too can be a traitor. How many times has God had to cast us out of His presence because of our unfaithfulness and persistent bad habits, lies, broken promises, and so on? But he didn’t do it, did he ?!
“Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy”. Micah 7:18
Never give up forgiving
* Never give up forgiving and giving one more chance to someone you have already given a few chances and you are tired of forgiving. Remember that you are forgiven and you are given many chances, not by anyone, but by God himself!
“Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[a]
And lead us not into temptation”. Lukas 11:4
“Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isaiah 55:7
Give up on bad friends
* Better give up on those friends who joke at your expense, use you, insult, humiliate, mock, criticize, ridicule, make you feel bad and guilty. Are friends like that? Maybe these people are just an obstacle to finding real friends.
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”. Proverbs 18:24
“A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends”. Proverbs 16:28
“My intercessor is my friend
as my eyes pour out tears to God…”. Job 16:20
(There are many songs about friendship out there….One of them I like is “Count On Me” (Bruno Mars)?) Here is the lyrics.
Become a friend with God:
“Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you”. Job 22:21
” I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you”. (Jesus)/
John 15:15
What about bad habits
* What about bad habits that spoil your relationship with relatives, friends and your spouse? It is worth straining and working with yourself, rather than your loved one leaving you, your children despising you and your friends stay away from you. Don’t procrastinate.
“And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions”. Isaiah 28:7
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit…” Ephesians 5:18
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure (lusts) that war in your members?” James 4:1
“But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption…” 2 Peter 2:12
But God has many promises for those who choose the better way. Here is one of them:
“Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth”. Jeremiah 33:6
Do you constantly apologize yourself?
* Do you constantly apologize yourself for your weaknesses and bad character? This does not help neither you nor the people who love you.
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?
Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil”.
Jeremiah 13:23
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me”. Psalm 51:10
The Creator of the whole universe can recreate you:
“For thus says the Lord,
Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it [a]in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other”. Isaiah 45:18
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh”. Ezekiel 36:26