We must be determined to fulfill the mission that God has given us in the world. I’ve wanted to quit as pastor of Saddleback more times than I can count. But the call of God keeps me going. You need to keep going too.

Determination: We must never give up.

We all have lots of opportunities to give up on the ministry God has given us. We don’t often think of it Jesus in this way, but he had those opportunities too. The Bible gives one example in Luke 4:42-44: “Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. But he replied, ‘I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.’ So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.” (NLT)

People tried to keep Jesus from leaving the area. They had another agenda for Him. But Jesus had a plan, and he stuck to it.

Most people never succeed because they give up too soon. Is there a dream you’ve always had that you’ve given up on? What is the ministry that you’ve always thought of accomplishing, but you’ve thought you can’t do it? Great people are simply ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Successful people just don’t know how to quit.

Abraham Lincoln was probably America’s greatest president. He lost more times than he won. If you ask any school kid who Abraham Lincoln is, you’ll hear plenty of answers. You won’t hear anything about his defeats, his failures, his lost elections or his embarrassing rejections. You just hear about the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, and that he saved the Union.

Where do you need to apply determination in your ministry?

The Jesus Model for Ministry -

·      Identification: We must know who we are.

·      Motivation: We must clarify why we are in ministry.

·      Concentration: We must focus on what is important.

·      Dedication: We must keep our lives pure.

·      Delegation: We must involve other people in our ministry.

·      Meditation: We must meet God every day.

·      Relaxation: We need to take time to enjoy life.

·      Education: We must never stop learning.

·      Expectation: We must expect God to use us.