REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on June 18, 2016, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian who leads Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan. Shan is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.).
Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend
“What To Do When We Are Weary”
Galatians 6:9-10
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
As you can see from the introduction above, my wife and I have an incredibly cute newborn baby named Tyler who is almost three months old. It has been an amazing and wonderful three months taking care of this little boy, but I’ll let you all in on a little secret… My wife and I are really tired. Again it’s been a great and rewarding experience raising him, but with all the work it takes to take care of a baby, we grow weary. To confess even more, there are times where I would rather sleep or relax or watch TV than wake up at 3am every day and change Tyler’s diaper and feed him. Even though I love my son, it’s not easy to keep on doing good.
I share this illustration because sometimes we have this picture of Christian life and ministry and being a part of kingdom work as being awesome, rewarding, and fulfilling without recognizing that it can also be difficult, laborious and wearying. I find that some people think that serving God out of the overflow of our hearts means that doing good to everyone is easy. Paul clearly knew otherwise when he wrote this passage. He exhorts the Galatians to not grow weary and to not give up for no other reason than that we can easily grow weary and we will want to give up!
In our service to God and to the body of Christ, we need perseverance and endurance because we will grow weary. Like the seed that falls on rocky ground in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, it’s easy to spring up quickly because it can be so fun and exciting to serve the Lord at the start, but when the excitement wears off and weariness sets in, we can find ourselves like those plants that withered because of the sun, and we stop doing the work of the Lord.
How do we endure then? Paul encouraged the Galatians to press on and endure because there is a harvest to come and that should be our motivation as well. If we persevere and keep on doing good, we will have the privilege to see people coming to know the Lord. Beyond the harvest though, to endure we must remember to do this good work together and strive to bless and encourage one another to endure. If we grit our teeth and press on as individuals, we will all grow weary and give up, but we can press on when we strive to serve and bless one another in the household of God.
If today you’re feeling weary of doing good, remember that there is a harvest to come and find encouragement from the body of Christ. If you’re not feeling weary, praise God and find a way to encourage your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who might be feeling weary. Let us strive to endure to do good together.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for considering us worthy to die on the cross. Forgive me for wanting man’s approval and boasting about myself. Help me when I am wearied and want to give up. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 14-15