Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:6-10
Paul exhorted and encouraged the believers to continue to do good. He told them to think about the law of sowing and reaping in their lives. He reminded them that God is not mocked, and people will reap what they sow.
Believers can work hard, love extravagantly, and give generously, but they may not see the fruit of their labor for a long time. Some people have sacrificed years in raising their children, but their adult children have strayed away and have no appreciation for the price their parents paid. Others have loved and given generously to family and friends but have found that they could not count on them when they needed something. There are those who have given endless hours in ministry only to find that they were easily replaceable and that their work didn’t appear to be valued much. There are others who have prayed for the salvation of their loves ones for years for years, but they haven’t see much progress.
It is easy to get discouraged and weary when one does not see the fruit of their labor. People can wonder if it was worth it. They may question if they should keep doing the same thing if there are no visible results in their labor. The passage in Galatians gives us a few things to consider in times of being weary.
1.Did we sow in our flesh with the carnal expectation of receiving from others what we wanted? Paul reminds us that carnality begets carnality, and we need to ensure that we are not sowing in carnality.The truth is that our motives can be a mixture of carnality and spirituality. When we become weary, our carnality comes to the surface. In times of weariness, our expectations get louder, and we begin to discern clearly our motives.
Mary offered up her costly fragrant oil by pouring it on Jesus’ feet (See John 11). She or her family must have worked hard and saved for a long time to have that special perfume, but she did it without the expectation of Jesus giving her anything back. The giving away of the perfume and pouring it out became her act of worship. In times of weariness, we need to offer up our labor to the Lord and ask Him to purify our motives.When our motives and works are pure from carnality, we are sowing in the Spirit, and we will reap in the Spirit. God will reward us. His reward may not come directly from where we expected, but God knows how to reward His children. In addition, we cannot forget that God has eternal rewards for His children. The Lord does not forget our labor of love!
2.Paul encouraged the believers to keep doing good.It’s never a good idea to stop loving God or loving others. It doesn’t mean that we should allow others to take advantage of us. It also doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t set healthy boundaries in our relationships, but it does mean that we need to keep going and persevering in love. In this way, we are becoming like Christ and allowing His nature and character to take greater control of our lives. The scripture is clear that God is the rewarder of those who do good.
3. The law of sowing and reaping shows us that it is impossible to continually sow and not reap anything. The key is that in the Kingdom economy, the sowing and reaping is in God’s hands not in our hands nor on our timetable.The reward in the Kingdom is not like the stock market where experts predict/expect a certain increase in a given timeframe. God gives the increase when He sees fit. Our confidence is that He is merciful, gracious, and just. His reward can come in unexpected ways. We are not called to look to others for the reward but only to Him. He is our way maker, deliverer, provider, and heart surgeon. He is also the one who convicts people of the error of their ways and brings back the prodigals. Thank you Lord!
