Continue To Do Good
Do you remember the last time you were completely exhausted? Maybe you spent your entire day or week working on a hard project. Maybe you felt depleted after helping other people in your life. Or maybe hard situations and setbacks made you feel like giving up. All of us grow tired at some point.
Paul, the writer of Galatians, knew that the people he was writing to would also become tired of the work they were doing. During Paul’s time, there was a lot of persecution and hurting people, and Paul was writing to encourage them in the work they were doing.
Inside Paul’s encouragement to the Galatians is this truth:
Even good people will tire of doing good things.
That’s why Paul encourages everyone to continue to push forward in doing good. We should continue to help people. We should continue to share the hope of Jesus with people. We should continue to try and live as God would want us to.
God knows that we’ll eventually grow weary. And when we grow tired and frustrated, we’ll probably begin to question why we’re doing any of this to begin with. (Maybe you’ve already asked yourself this.)
But Galatians 6:9 encourages us to persevere in doing good things. Similar to how a farmer must work diligently to plant his crops and wait months before the actual harvest, Paul says there will be a harvest for those who do not give up.
Just like the Christians in Galatia, we also need to persevere in living godly lives and helping those around us. If we do not give up, Scripture says there will be a reward for us. We may receive that reward during our time on earth, or in heaven—but regardless of when we receive it, we should persevere in doing good.
That means that your work matters. There is value to how you live and love others.
So spend some time today considering the good that you have done and can continue to do for others. Who can you help? Who can you share the hope of Jesus with? How can you continue to persevere in living a godly life?
If you’ve grown weary or defeated, make a commitment today to never give up. Choose to persevere through whatever season of life you’re in, knowing that there will be a harvest for those who finish well.
Timeless Wisdom
After being rescued from Egyptian slavery and wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years, the Hebrew people finally stood at the edge of the land God had promised.
Though their long-time leader, Moses, had just died, God appointed Joshua to take his place. During this transition of authority, God gave Joshua some wise advice:
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Joshua 1:8 NIV
The “Book of the Law” refers to the first five books of the Bible—also known as the Torah (in Hebrew) or the Pentateuch (in Greek). Today, we have that and more—66 books of the Bible, including the Old and New Testaments.
God gave the Law to Israel through Moses. These instructions reveal God’s intentions, character, and heart.
And even though God was speaking directly to Joshua at that time, His advice holds timeless ...