The Apostle Paul told us in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary in well doing.” In the times in which we are living it is sometimes very difficult not to grow weary. These days, life is often a serious struggle and requires a lot of strength, patience, and determination. Who can watch the news, with the rioting, politics, and all that is going on, and not grow weary?
We live in a “have it now” generation. Or as Burger King once put it, “Have it YOUR way!” We live in a world where certain political parties have publicly stated, (and I paraphrase), “if our side doesn’t win the election we will riot in the streets.” Simply put, they are saying, “if our side doesn’t win we will throw public tantrums, and we won’t stop until we have it “our way!” I can think of many adjectives to describe this attitude, but for now I’ll settle for “inmature” and “entitled.”
Like it or not, these issues affect us. They pull and tug on our minds. They keep us tired, confused, stirred up, and feeling that we are with out hope. We grow weary, just like Paul told us not to do. How do we live on this earth in these last days without growing weary? It might have been possible for Paul, but is it even possible in our time? Yes. Yes it is. The question is not “is” it possible, but rather, “how” is it possible?
If we take a second look at Galatians 6:9 we see this: the first half of the scriptures tells us not to grow weary. But the second half tells us that “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Common sense says that if you reap something, then something had to have been sown. Let’s look just above verse nine, at verses seven through eight. Paul says, “don’t be deceived, whatever a man sows he reaps.” He goes on to say that “if we sow to our flesh we reap corruption, but if we sow to the Spirit we shall reap everlasting life.”
With all the darkness and corruption around us, Christians must determine to sow to the Spirit. It is the only way to keep ourselves from growing weary. Otherwise, the weight of darkness around us will keep us down trodden, feeling beaten, and joyless. “In His presence is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11) By sowing to the Spirit we reap everlasting life!
In Hebrews 10, Paul once again raises the same subject. In verse twenty-two he says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” He once told Timothy to “strengthen his resolve.” In other words, “make up your mind.” This was not said in a derogatory manner, rather an encouraging one. We know that a “double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)
Paul continues in Hebrews 10:23 by telling us, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith, without wavering; for He is faithful that promised.”
If only we were “confident of this very thing, that Jesus, who started this good work will perform it, until the day of his return.” (Philippians 1:6)
And since he promised to perform it until the day of his return, that means he isn’t about to give up on us. The scripture says, He who promised is faithful!”
If our faith did not waver and we were confident that Jesus will do what he promised, then we simply would not grow weary. It would not be an issue.
Hebrews 4 speaks of a “rest” for the people of God and warns us of the danger of not entering into it. In verse eleven Paul warns that if we don’t enter into that rest we are falling for unbelief. And we know that it was because of unbelief that the children of Israel did not enter into the Promised Land. (Hebrews 3:19)
This is a clear trumpet sound that as God’s people, we are to be relying on him, not ourselves, for the overcoming ability that Revelation so often speaks of, and the promises that go to the overcomer.
I hope I always remember the words my sister in-law said nearly thirty years ago. She said, “we can’t do it, but we are responsible to see that it gets done.”
“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.” (Isaiah 40)
Put your faith in Him who promised to do the work and believe that He is able and will follow through on his promise. Then, and only then, will we “rise up with wings as eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.”