Tired of doing good

I’m sure I’ve written on this before.  It’s something we, as the Lord’s disciples, need to remember—and more than that, put into practice.  Just look around, and it’s clear that human beings in general adhere to it sporadically at best.  Here it is:

Let’s not get tired of doing good.  (Galatians 6:9)

We all know, or at least know of, people whose whole lives are dedicated to doing good.  Many make no claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.  I admire their dedication.  For now though, let’s look at why Paul would write this encouragement specifically to believers.

The context is Paul’s exhortation to help carry one another’s burdens (verse 2), and yet paradoxically we each have to bear our own load (verse 5).  You and your study group might want to discuss what he means in this seeming contradiction.  Paul’s main point, though, is given in a mini-parable:  We harvest the crop we plant.

Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant.  If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life. So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest. (Galatians 6:7-9, GNT)

Where do we exert our effort, spend our time, focus our thoughts and plans?  Questions like this always are uncomfortable for me, maybe for you too.  Which is why Paul passes along this encouragement.  It’s easy to get tired of the effort it takes to say no to the natural desires and do good instead.  The encouragement is that the harvest we’re looking toward is nothing short of eternal life. 

But he's not done.  His conclusion:

So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith. (verse 10)

There is ample teaching, from the Law of Moses all the way to the words of Jesus, instructing us to do good—to whomever our “neighbor” might be.  Paul says, that’s quite right and we should take every chance we get to do it.  And on top of that, there is a special, extra necessity to do good for those in our faith family.

Bringing us back to helping one another with our burdens—whether those are physical needs for food and shelter, spiritual needs, or anything else.

The bottom line:  (1) Eyes on the harvest.  (2) Don’t get tired (which probably means pacing ourselves, but that can’t be an excuse to plant the wrong crop.)  (3) Keep on doing good to all.  (4) Special care for the family.  Much easier to say than to implement and stick with.  But that’s why the Lord provided people like Paul to encourage us.

Love, Paul