Student Devotionals
Galatians 6:9
Persevere in Doing Good
Hey guys! This is Mark Hopson with the National School Project and the Meant For More Movement. I want to talk with you about an incredibly important principle from the Bible for your walk and leadership with the Lord. It is simply this: perseverance.
I wonder how many of us need this encouragement from the Bible in our lives today. I wonder how many of us are so tired from doing something… whether it is work, your athletics, your school work, or some other form of service that the Lord has asked of you. Maybe you’re tired because you constantly feel discouraged. Maybe you’re physically and emotionally worn out and feeling like it’s finally time to just give up. Maybe you have felt that way all month, or maybe even today!
We’ve got a great passage from the Bible to encourage us when we feel worn out- Galatians 6:9. God tells us this:
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
I love this verse! It is so powerful, practical, simple, and attainable. It has one simple command, one simple condition, and one incredibly powerful promise.
The command is to not “grow weary of doing good.” That’s not a commandment against getting physically tired… we’re all going to experience that! Rather, the commandment is about getting tired of doing good things. That’s a big difference!
If we’re not careful, there are probably at least three ways we could get tired of doing good.
The first one could be if we fail to find our strength in the Lord. If we find ourselves just depending on ourselves, not going to prayer and the Word, and not abiding in God as the source of our confidence, it’s normal to grow weary after a time. When this happens, it can be a good check to ask ourselves, “Am I abiding in the Lord right now like I should?”
The second reason we can grow weary is when the novelty, or excitement factor, of serving the Lord wears off. When we start off, we have a lot of enthusiasm and energy, but it begins to fade away over time. It is important that we address this reality in our hearts. We need to remind ourselves, “I’m not here to serve the Lord just for excitement, fun, or energy… even though these are good reasons! Even if that fades for a time, I’m going to remember what I am doing this for.”
The third, and most relatable reason for weariness is discouragement. We need to brace ourselves for the reality that Christian leaders are going to face obstacles and setbacks. If we don’t deal with those properly, the disappointment and discouragement can rob us of our joy and can lead to disillusionment. If you’re feeling either of these things, I want to encourage you to go to the Lord in prayer and talk to Him about them.
Also, keep looking at our passage. Although it commands us to not grow weary of doing good, it doesn’t stop there. It gives us an incredible promise that I think can speak to the discouragement that you might be facing today.
Our passage continues, “for in due season.” I love that! It means that fruit comes at the right time. However, “the right time” is probably not when you or I would want it to be “the right time.” Let’s face it… we’re an instant gratification culture. I mean, you know you’ve got a problem when you’re standing in front of your microwave being impatient for how long it is taking to heat up your coffee or food! Even that feels too long. So we’ve got a problem, and we expect any difficulties in our lives to be worked out very quickly.
Even though we might want it to be faster, isn’t it great that God has worked out a perfect timing of His own? So, one thing I like to tell young people is that God has set a time in advance… He has fixed it… when all the work that you are doing for Him will finally bear fruit. So let’s wait for it!
Our passage continues, “We will reap.” What a powerful promise! It’s just three words, but you can hold onto them. Think about all of the fruit you could potentially reap. You could see people rescued from slavery to sin and set free in Christ! You could see believers strengthened in their faith and equipped to serve the Lord. Maybe people from both groups will continue to bear fruit for the Lord for years to come, some thirty, sixty, or even one hundredfold (Matthew 13:8)!
This is such a great promise to cling to. We will reap in due season! But let’s grapple with a few things this passage doesn’t say. It doesn’t say we’re going to reap all the fruit that we might have hoped. Maybe we have dreams of being the next Billy Graham, which would be a great and Godly ambition, but it’s not a guarantee. It isn’t a promise that we’ll harvest the exact kind of fruit that we might want to see. As we’ve already said, it isn’t a promise that we’ll see fruit in the exact timeline that we would want to see. However, even with all of these acknowledgements, it’s still a great promise that we need to cling to!
There is only one condition that we need to keep in order to receive this promise. We need to “not give up.” I love this verse because that’s a simple condition for me to hold onto. I’m not necessarily the most talented guy and there is all kinds of stuff that I can’t do, but this is one thing I can do. I can hang in there. I can keep going. I can get up and decide to serve the Lord another day. I can say, “well, maybe that didn’t work yesterday, but I can try again today.” Or I can say, “hey, that worked well yesterday, but let’s keep trusting the Lord today.” Better yet, I can leave the results in the Lord’s hands and let him do what He wills!
You can have this same mindset. So let’s look to the Lord today. Let’s persevere because we’re trusting in the Lord and waiting for the fulfillment of His promise. We will reap!
-Mark Hopson