In1973, Yogi Berra was the manager of the New York Mets. His team was a long way behind in the National League pennant race, and when asked about whether the team could make the playoffs, he uttered one of his most memorable quotes by stating: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”Amazingly, his team came back to win the division, then the National League that year, before losing in the World Series. Yogi and the Mets were dedicated and never quit.
On October 1, 2016, with ten seconds left in the game, University of Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs ahead of the University of Tennessee Volunteers 31- 28, and it appeared the game was over. However, after a kickoff return by Vols safety Evan Berry, quarterback Joshua Dobbs launched a ball to the end zone that was caught by receiver Jauan Jennings with no time left on the clock. TheVols won 34- 31. The Vols were dedicated and never quit.
In Acts 8, we read about a man usually identified as the Ethiopian Eunuch. This man was dedicated to God in many ways, but I want to point out just one way that showed his dedication.
This man was dedicated to worship. He was probably a proselyte, which means he was a Gentile convert to the Jewish religion. In order to worship according to the Old Testament Law, people had to travel to Jerusalem. This man lived in Ethiopia which was probably at least 300 miles away from Jerusalem.
This fact is important because you could not just jump in your car and travel such a long distance in a day or less. This trip would have taken a long time and would have cost a lot of money, but he made the trip anyway. How many of our brothers and sisters, with the church building only minutes away, miss services because they just don’t want to get up on Sunday?
This trip would not have been made in comfort because he was traveling in a chariot. It would have been a long bumpy and jerky ride, but how many of us with our comfortable smooth riding cars still miss services? It would have also been hot, there would be no air conditioning in a chariot, and there would be no padded seating. Yet, with our cars that have comfortable seats and the ability to have the inside at any temperature we desire, we still miss times when the church assembles.
Why did the Eunuch do it? Why did he travel so far in such difficult circumstances? He took the Word of God seriously, and when it said to go to Jerusalem to worship, he did it. He was dedicated and he did not quit. In Hebrews 10:25, it says: “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”This means that every time the doors of the church building are open for services that we need to be there. We need to have an attitude like David when he said: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).
Yogi Berra was dedicated to his team, Tennessee was dedicated to finishing the game, and the Eunuch was dedicated to God and doing what He said. Winning the National League won’t help you in Heaven, winning an SEC rivalry game won’t help you in Heaven, but attending the worship services of the church will make a great difference in eternity. There are many other great qualities that the Ethiopian Eunuch demonstrated, but his dedication to worship and his refusal to quit is one that I think we all need to consider. With all this in mind, I ask: are you dedicated or have you quit?