Keep it Up

Do you remember the last time you were completely exhausted? Maybe you spent tons of time and energy working on a difficult project. Maybe you felt depleted after helping everyone else around you—physically or emotionally. Maybe hard situations and complex circumstances 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 godly 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 others. We should continue to live as God would want us to—especially when things get hard.

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, keep it up. Keep doing good.

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.