Don't Quit Doing Right

The Word is first...

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, NIV)

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

I've been away from my blog for over a week now and it's hard to bring myself back to this place. Not because I don't like it or don't want to do it, but because I've gotten out of the habit. Just that easily the good habit of a morning devotional and journal entry is broken. The breaking of this habit started innocently enough; I got sick, slept late, missed work and generally disrupted all my routines. But I've been 'well' for about a week now and I'm just now coming back to my devotional time. It seems odd to me that it's so easy to lay aside a good habit, such as a morning devotional, yet so difficult to lay aside a bad habit such as smoking, sleeping, gossiping, gluttony, lust, you name it.

The truth is that it's hard to keep doing the right thing. All the world, the culture, society, media, business, everything is just that; worldly and it is oriented towards keeping us comfortable and complacent. That means that doing 'worldly' things is easier than doing 'godly' things.

This is nothing new and in today's study verse, the Apostle Paul speaks to this very thing. In this passage, Paul reiterates the truth that a man reaps what he sows. If a man takes the easy path and sows according to the world, then he will reap according to the world. On the other hand, if a man sows according to The Spirit then by The Spirit he shall reap.

The problem with this is two-fold. Doing the 'worldly' or 'wrong' things is not only easy but it is often accompanied by a more immediate reward; instant gratification if you will. Doing the 'godly' or 'right' thing is not only difficult but the most substantial portion of the reward is greatly delayed. In fact, you don't receive the reward till this life is over.

So Paul enjoins us to "not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Paul has chosen an agricultural context for this lesson and I'd like to expand on it just a little bit. Consider gardening... preparing the ground to receive seed is back-breaking work at the end of which you have a patch of ground or a field that is nothing more than dirt. To give up the garden at this point would be a total waste of the effort and in little time, all the gains would be lost to the cycles of the season. If you then cast seed on the dirt and pull the dirt over to cover the seed, the work is tedious though not as difficult as the tilling. But again, at the end of that effort the garden is still a patch of dirt; smooth and organized but still dirt. With the rain and patience though, the seeds will bring forth plants and weeds. Now, the more difficult task is met, that of constantly, carefully and patiently removing all the plants that don't belong in the garden; weeding. At the end of the day, you have a beautiful garden and a pile of refuse for the compost pile and the reward is just the sense of accomplishment. Tomorrow though, the work must be repeated and the next day and the next lest the 'weeds' overtake the garden and choke out the desirable plants. In time, many months after the initial work, the plants bring forth their fruit and there is a great banquet to be had.

If the gardener sticks to the task, at the appropriate time there is a great reward. But if he gives up anywhere or anytime before the end, all the effort is wasted and there is no reward at all.

That's how it is with our doing God's work in this garden. It's a long cycle and the temptation to stop prematurely is very strong. Yet if we persevere, we will share a great banquet at God's table. Let's keep this in mind today and everyday.

Shalom,
Carl