A quitter never wins— and— a winner never quits!

Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’ As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.

Food for thought!

Bad things do happen to good people! Before very long disaster came to John. He was arrested, imprisoned and killed by Herod the king. His crime was that he had publicly denounced Herod for seducing his brother's wife, and making her his own wife, after he had put away the wife he had. John's courage brought him first imprisonment and then death.

Bad as this might be, John's arrest marked Jesus' beginning. The gospel says that “After John had been arrested, Jesus went ...” When John stoppend, Jesus started; when John went into prison, Jesus went forth to his task. John was cousin of Jesus. And when John died, Jesus did not nurse the wounds for ever; he immediately moved on. Some of us, whenever we get wounded or disappointed in our expectations with someone, or when we lose one of our dear ones, or our business endeavour fails, we fail to go beyond the hurt or disappointment; we nurse our wounds for too long, too much. This is not what Jesus did.

When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. Even with the bad news of his cousin's imprisonment still fresh, Jesus had some Good News to proclaim. This is a great lesson for you and me: even when we fall and fail, we still have good news to proclaim. Don't take temporary defeat for permanent failure.

Just keep this fact in mind, and remember when your plans fail, that temporary defeat is not permanent failure. It may only mean that your plans have not been sound. Build other plans. Start all over again. Thomas A. Edison “failed” ten thousand times before he perfected the incandescent electric light bulb. That is— he met with temporary defeat ten thousand times, before his efforts were crowned with success. Temporary defeat should mean only one thing, the certain knowledge that there is something wrong with your plan.

When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal. If you give up before your goal has been reached, you are a “quitter.” A quitter never wins— and— a winner never quits.