Hello there, ones who are loved by God,
Today, let’s take a look at these words of encouragement from the Apostle Paul to the churches in Galatia about doing good:
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
— Galatians 6:9
The letter that Paul writes to the Galatians is quite intense. In it, he spends the bulk of his message addressing the church’s response to the false teachings that had come into the church.
I marvel that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another, only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
— Galatians 1:6-7
After having intensely labored to rebuke the Galatian churches for succumbing to the false teachings of the Judaizers, Paul, in his closing remarks, urges them not to lose heart in doing good.
It’s rather an interesting admonishment that Paul makes. He urges them to continue doing what is good. As Paul would later tell the Ephesians, they are called for good works:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
— Ephesians 2:10
Unfortunately, this reality that Paul alludes to is very much a point of consideration that cannot be ignored. It is true that in doing these good works, there’s a very present possibility that one might grow weary. This is because the good works are not merely matters of the flesh but rather are produced by the Spirit. We also know that the flesh is at war with the Spirit. Paul had shared this with the Galatians in an earlier part of the letter:
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you do not do the things that you want.
— Galatians 5:17
If we are not constantly submitting ourselves to the Spirit’s work in our lives, we can find ourselves easily presenting our members to sin, as instruments of unrighteousness (Romans 6:13).
Paul then offers a statement of encouragement about the rewards to come for those who do not grow weary. He says, “for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” This statement is meant to encourage the Galatians by reminding them that there’s a reward to come if only they’ll continue in fervency, bearing the fruit of righteousness and doing good works because they are in Christ. This is very similar to Christ’s words of encouragement as He was sharing the Sermon on the Mount:
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
— Matthew 5:12
This reminder should fill us with joy. On many occasions, we will grow weary in doing what is right and in doing good works that glorify our Lord. Many times we’ll want to lose heart because there is seemingly no reward to the flesh. And because of this, the flesh, which is very weak, will prompt us to give up. But Paul’s words, in keeping with Jesus’s words, are that we need not lose heart, because there is indeed a reward for us stored up in heaven.
Here are some things to consider:
- The flesh is weak: The flesh will become weary and cause us to lose heart in doing good works.
- Good works have been prepared for us: A faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:17). We glorify God when we do good.
- We will reap in due time: We need not worry about the length of time we need to wait for our reward, but rather trust in the promise of our Lord that we will be rewarded in due time.
I pray this word encourages us to keep doing what is good, day after day.
With love,
Paul
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