~Zechariah 4:6-10 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 7 Who [art] thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel [thou shalt become] a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone [thereof with] shoutings, [crying], Grace, grace unto it. 8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 9 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. 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel [with] those seven; they [are] the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Israel’s walls and temple were destroyed by the Babylonians at this point.  God gave Zerubbabel an assignment and that was to rebuild the temple.  It took years for him to complete his assignment because of opposition, but complete it he did.

So what’s your assignment?  Each of our assignments is different – yours doesn’t match mine.  They are all unique to us according to God’s plan and purpose for our lives.  We each have a talent – a strength – a gift.  What are you doing with yours?

What assignment(s) has God given to you?  Are you a spouse? Are you a pastor? Are you a parent? Some of these things, you just can’t give up. However, there are other “assignments” that we take on but then lay them aside.  Why is that? Where’s the dedication? Do we or don’t we do things to honor the Lord? If we do, then why do we give up those things which we originally thought were important? Did their importance fade away? Did we get bored?

I use to follow a certain Pastor’s writings on the Internet faithfully. Then one day, his blogging stopped. He stated that he was going to place his efforts on another blog and he provided a link to it. I followed that link and read his blogging for a while until that blog was “set aside” as well. Two blogs were created, both with the right intentions; and two blogs were dropped – why? The moral to this story is not about this particular Pastor. The question is why start something if you aren’t going to finish it? Has the goal been accomplished? Has the reason stopped existing? I was so disappointed to see that he was no longer writing – or maybe he was still writing but I had not discovered that new blog?! Why did he stop? Did he encounter obstacles? Did he encounter resistance from the enemy? I don’t know – but what an impact he could have had on his readership had he shared the obstacles he was experiencing and his desire to persevere!

Before you add something new to your plate, ask yourself if you are dedicated enough for the task.  Ask yourself if you will keep doing it until its completion or until the Lord’s return. I personally believe that quitting is a reflection on one’s character. Perseverance is a virtue that is not practiced by many today. Our tenacity to persevere directly correlates with our relationship with the Lord: Are we up and down? Are we steadily serving – do we “keep on keepin’ on?”

Finish what you start and don’t start unless you want to finish!