In chapter six of Galatians,
Paul the apostle has told the church members to restore one another
when they are taken in a fault. He has encouraged them to bear one
another's burdens and by doing so they would fulfill the law of
Christ. They were to think of themselves as nothing and be busy about
their own work and worry less about what others do. In addition they
were to minister to their teachers in the word, and remember the law
of reciprocity is real, and therefore they should sow to the Spirit
and not to the flesh. In verse nine Paul continues his exhortations
to them as he shares about their work. He wrote:
And let us not be weary
in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
After
all the directions Paul has given for behavior, people might tend to
get wearied from their work. He begins this verse with, “And
let us not be weary in well doing:...”
The Greek word for “weary” is “ekkakeo” and it means
“to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted”.
Whenever there is work in the kingdom of God, there is also a
tendency to be wearied from it. Jesus Himself spoke of the importance
of rest as his disciples returned from working in the kingdom. In the
gospel of Mark in chapter six and verses thirty through thirty-two we
read:
And the apostles
gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things,
both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto
them, Come apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there
were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to
eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
Often
there is so much to do that people do not take the time to simply
rest, and this may lead to weariness, tiredness, and even dread of
the work that is done. Paul says do not allow weariness in well
doing.
Paul
adds, “for in due season we shall reap,...” There is a
harvest waiting for those who sow good seed. It may not appear right
away, but it is nonetheless there. The idea of “due season”
is “at just the right time, exactly when it should be, and during
the perfect season.” God knows when that timing occurs, and like
the farmer who waits patiently for his crop to produce, the
well-doing that is sown will yield an abundant fold some day.
The key
to seeing this harvest lies in Paul's last four words in this verse,
“if we faint not.” Since he employed the word “if”
we may realize there is the possibility that we might faint, which
means quit, relinquish responsibilities, and give up on our
well-doing. For those who work steadily in doing well, there is a
tendency to never rest, and when this occurs, burn out, tiredness,
relaxing and letting go of ever doing well again can become the norm.
Many who used to do well, never do so again, and therefore they never
see the harvest awaiting because they have “fainted” on the job.
As we
consider this verse, we might ask of ourselves, “Are we
overworked?” “Do we tend to never “come apart into a desert
place, and rest a while?” Have we found doing well for others a
drudgery or like a job? Is our life filled with so much good doing
that we are wearying ourselves to the point of despair? Perhaps our
meditation before the Lord today should be to ask Him if it is time
for us to take a break, take a rest, and refresh ourselves so we will
not faint in doing that which He has called us to do.
Next time Paul will share with us about doing good to others, so read
ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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