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Do Not Grow Weary in Well Doing
Andrea Lende • December 17, 2020
Galatians 6:9
Do Not Grow Weary in Well Doing
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Do-Not-Grow-Weary-in-Well-Doing-enumhr
Galatians 6:9
“And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”
This passage could not come at a better time than right now for me to read.
Why?
Because I am tired.
I am weary.
And it is during these times of great fatigue that I feel like giving up.
I don’t feel like acting nobly.
I feel like fainting in my mind.
I have been living in a place of overwhelm and over-doing for too long which has left me empty and dry.
Normally in this wonderful and beautiful Season, I feel warm and giving and joyful.
But I’m just so tired that I don’t really feel at all like acting nobly.
However, Paul warns against this.
He tells us to not lose heart.
He tells us to “not grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right”.
Why?
Because the harvest is coming.
And we will reap what we sow.
We will rejoice in that time.
So, why not rejoice right now?
Rejoice in the knowledge that there will be a harvest.
Rejoice knowing the time will come to reap what we have sown.
The Lord wastes nothing in His economy, and He will make sure the work we are doing in service to Him will provide a great harvest in time.
Lastly, Paul tells us we will reap what we sow “if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint”.
So, even if we are tired from the work – the sowing of seeds – we must not give up just because we are weary.
We must not lose heart.
We must not grow weary in well-doing.
Instead, rejoice.
Rejoice when it is hard.
Rejoice even when we are weary.
Because rejoicing will bring us into the Lord’s presence where He can restore our strength.
Today I choose to rejoice instead of faint in my mind and wait expectantly on the Lord for strength and a great harvest.
May you find the Lord is blessing your work and your service unto Him, and He will strengthen you to continue to serve Him and not grow weary in well-doing.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your timely Word. Thank You for providing the perfect scripture at the perfect time for my spirit to be encouraged by You. Thank You, Father, for Your promise of blessing the work of my hands. Thank You for the promise of a great harvest. May You strengthen me in every way to serve You and not grow weary. Help me do all that You ask me to do, Lord, and help me rejoice while doing it. Keep my mind and heart from grumbling and complaining. Put words of praise in my mouth. You are greatly to be praised! You and everything You do is to be praised. You are great, Lord! You are Almighty! Your power is magnificent, and Your grace is unending. Keep my eyes on You today, Lord. Keep my eyes on You. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and will strengthen you in your service to Me.
Response: Thank You, Almighty and gracious God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.