"And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
Sometimes doing good things (the King James Bible says "well-doing") is extremely tiring. But as I sit here, late at night asking God to use me to encourage you in this writing, my mind started to wander toward the garden I'm hoping to plant this spring.
I put a lot of thought and time and planning into what we will grow, how much will be necessary to help offset a large family of 6, going on 7, grocery bill, and what experiments I want to try. I spend time preparing the ground and checking the Ph levels, fertilizing when needed. We plant with care, waiting till the soil is warm enough, watering diligently. It's just an extremely fun, springtime, family activity.
But two months in and all of the diligence and excitement turns into "I'd rather eat ice cream and be lazy." It turns into, "I just don't want to go turn the sprinkler on and water the tomatoes". It turns into, "If I just spent 5 minutes pulling weeds that row would flourish". Why? Because I became weary of doing good. I never get to enjoy fresh salsa or grilled corn on the cob, because my weariness ruined the opportunity of reaping good things.
If you are like me, it is scary to think that my walk with Jesus Christ can get like this sometimes. Reading my Bible, time in prayer, intentional evangelism and discipleship, sometimes I just grow weary in doing good. And then our walk becomes stagnate and we feel like God just isn't talking or present and the change we wanted to see in ourselves or in others, just isn't happening. And it's because weariness overtook us and instead of reaping good things, we reap bad things or nothing, because we gave up.
My prayer for us, me and you, individually and as a church, is that we will not grow weary in doing good. That we will labor for the honor and glory of the King, when it's difficult and exhausting. That we will, in due season, see the fruit of our labor - disciples of all nations, souls in heaven!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)