Do not give up!

The Lord has been reminding me lately of how important it is to continue on, to press forward, to not give up. This was the devotion on Jon Courson's web site today and it was a blessing, so enjoy!

"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. "

Zechariah 4:9 

"Through Zechariah, the Lord said to Zerubbabel, “I know what you’re thinking. Sixteen years have passed and the project you began is now stalled. But I have good news for you. I am going to complete that which I began. And your hands will be the hands I use to do it. Therefore, be patient. Don’t despise the day of small things. Just be faithful. How will all of this come about? Not by your might or by your resolve. The stalled project will be completed by My Spirit. Just as the oil from the olive trees passes through the lamps apart from human effort, so too, I will work apart from anything man does.”

I know there is a time in virtually all of our lives when the Lord lays something on our hearts. A promise is given. A dream is placed on our minds. A vision is set before our eyes. It might be a business or a marriage, a family or a ministry. We begin. We lay the foundation - but then the difficulties come. As the months and years pass, we say, “It’s not going to happen.” And our hearts sink.

But, just as He said to Zerubbabel, the Lord would say to us, “I am going to allow the hands that laid the foundation to finish the work. You are going to bring the capstone - the finishing piece - with shouts of grace at the end. It’s all by My grace. So don’t despise the days of small things, of small beginnings. And don’t give up.'"